Majority of French fans watch Ligue 1 matches illegally

• About two million fans have watched games on pirated platforms
• LFP estimates one-fifth of fans “refuse to pay to watch” soccer

The majority of French soccer fans have illegally streamed Ligue 1 games this season, according to research presented by the Professional Football League (LFP).

At a conference organised by the Association for the Protection of Sports Programmes (APPS), the league shared that among the 9.9 million soccer fans in France, 59 per cent have watched games on pirated platforms.

It estimates that 20 per cent of soccer fans in France currently watch Ligue 1 games illegally and do not have an active subscription to either the Ligue 1+ streaming service or to pay-TV network BeIN Sports.

According to L’Equipe, LFP Media legal director Douglas Lowenstein said the piracy cost “a loss of hundreds of millions of euros for Ligue 1+”. He went on to forecast that about “one-fifth of football fans refuse to pay to watch football”.

The data provided by the LFP comes as French authorities continue to crack down on illegal streaming networks. Last week, 20 users of pirated IPTV services were fined between €300 (US$348.07) and €400 (US$464.09) in the northern town of Arras by the local public prosecutor.

Ligue 1 launched the Ligue 1+ streaming platform ahead of the 2025/26 campaign after failing to secure a long-term partner for its domestic media rights. The LFP has partnered with a variety of broadcasters since its €3.25 billion (US$3.77 billion) deal with Mediapro collapsed in 2020.

Ligue1+ has attracted more than one million sign-ups since it was launched, with subscriptions available for an initial €14.99 (US$17.39) per month, with a €9.99 (US$11.59) offer for fans under 26 years old.

The LFP has secured broader distribution for Ligue 1+ through carriage deals with French telcos like Orange and Bouygues Telecom, as well as with previous partners Amazon Prime Video and DAZN. It has however not managed to sign up Canal+, the country’s largest pay-TV network, to a deal.

DAZN struggled to hit subscriber targets when broadcasting Ligue 1 last season, and attributed piracy as a cause for its struggles. The streamer charged fans €29.99 (US$34.80) per month for a subscription to watch eight games per matchday.

A survey from Odoxa conducted shortly after DAZN began broadcasting Ligue 1 revealed 65 per cent of French soccer fans felt the cost of a subscription to the platform would encourage more illegal streaming of the league’s games.

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