Welcome to issue #024 of Contemporary Football, your inside look at how the game really works behind the scenes.
Monday to Friday, you’ll uncover a new perspective on football business, and sometimes a deeper story that sharpens your thinking and gives you an edge in the beautiful game.
If you need support on your football journey, just write me.
Hey everyone,
Ligue 1 has gone direct-to-consumer.
No big broadcaster.
No traditional TV deal.
Just a league… selling itself directly to fans.
It’s a risky move.
But the early numbers are fascinating.
The numbers
Ligue 1+ (the direct-to-consumer platform) is projected to reach:
€158 million in turnover this season
€142 million of that will go back to clubs
€16 million goes to distributors as commissions
And here’s the real surprise:
Over one million subscribers in the first month.
To put this into perspective:
In August, Ligue 1 expected clubs to share a maximum of €80.4 million.
Now the projection is €142 million.
Almost double.
This shows one thing:
DTC can scale faster than anyone expected.
If projections hold:
The league winner earns around €30.1 million
The last-placed club earns €3.7 million
This distribution is similar to broadcast revenue…
except there is no broadcaster.
No negotiation.
Just fans paying €10–15 a month for live football.
Clubs are suddenly more dependent on demand.
On attention.
On storytelling.
On fan engagement.
Not on corporate contracts.
This is a cultural shift.
But here’s the truth
Ligue 1’s media revenue is still miles behind England, Spain, Italy, Germany.
The league launched this platform because…
nobody wanted to pay the price they were asking.
Clubs now depend on subscribers, not TV giants.
This is great when the numbers grow.
It’s scary when they don’t.
Look at Angers SCO’s statement:
They expected €19 million
They received €7 million
This year: €3 million
A €30 million hole over two years.
To survive, they must sell players.
There is no alternative.
Would you call this a proper “media strategy?
Or a survival one?
The cost of the bet
Setting up Ligue 1+ cost €66 million.
And the league wants two million subscribers in four years.
If they hit that, the model works.
If they don’t, the entire ecosystem suffers.
A deal with Canal+ — France’s biggest TV network —
would change everything.
Bigger distribution.
Bigger awareness.
Bigger numbers.
But it hasn’t happened yet.
So… does the DTC model make sense?
This is the biggest media experiment in European football.
And it forces us to ask the right questions:
1. Can a league survive without a TV partner?
Short term, maybe.
Long term, only if subscription growth is fast.
2. Can small clubs survive the volatility?
Angers shows the risk:
Their revenue collapsed.
3. Does DTC give power back to clubs?
Yes, but it also gives them responsibility.
You must attract fans yourself.
You can’t hide behind a broadcaster.
→ You need the right executive to understand this.
4. Is this the future for other leagues?
Not yet.
But if Ligue 1+ hits two million subscribers…
everyone will rethink their strategy.
Contemporary Football take
What France is doing is brave.
But here’s the key point:
Attention now has a direct price.
If fans show up, the league grows.
If they don’t, clubs suffer immediately.
This is football with no safety net.
No guaranteed TV money.
No protection from market interest.
Just a pure question:
“Are enough people willing to pay for your product?”
It’s uncomfortable.
But it’s also honest.
And maybe football needed this honesty.
See you tomorrow,
Federico