Ligue1+ Scores Big with 600,000 Subscribers in Its First Week
The new French football streaming platform, launched by LFP Media, outpaces DAZN's performance in record time and sets ambitious goals for the season.
Ligue1+ Scores Big with 600,000 Subscribers in Its First Week
The new French football streaming platform, launched by LFP Media, outpaces DAZN's performance in record time and sets ambitious goals for the season.
Is Ligue1+ shaping up to be the surprise hit of the season? According to Nicolas de Tavernost, Managing Director of LFP Media, the newly launched streaming platform dedicated to Ligue 1 has already amassed 600,000 subscribers—and that’s just after the first matchday.
Speaking to Le Parisien and L’Équipe, de Tavernost hailed the early success of the platform developed by the commercial arm of the French Professional Football League (LFP), calling it an “exceptional debut.”
“We’ve already reached 600,000 subscribers in just one day of the championship,” he stated. “That’s nearly equivalent to what DAZN achieved across the entire previous season.”
A Faster Start than DAZN
DAZN, which held the French Ligue 1 rights prior to Ligue1+, had signed a multi-year agreement with the LFP running until 2029. But despite high hopes, DAZN struggled to hit critical mass. While the company had set a goal of 1.5 million subscribers by the end of 2025, it had only reached 500,000 by February.
By contrast, Ligue1+ appears to be hitting the ground running. Much of that momentum is likely due to its aggressive launch pricing: €9.99 per month for the first three months, compared to the standard €14.99. It’s a tactic that seems to have worked.
“The only certainty is that Ligue1+ has had a successful launch,” said de Tavernost at a press conference in early August. “It’s a success technically, editorially, and in terms of results. That was matchday one. We have 33 more to go, and we’ll keep pushing to improve.”
He also emphasized that all of the platform’s distribution partners have called it an “exceptional start.”
One Million in Sight?
Looking ahead, the target is bold: 1 million subscribers by the end of the 2025/26 season. If the initial surge continues, Ligue1+ could significantly alter the French sports broadcasting landscape—one that’s been fragmented in recent years between pay-TV channels and streaming newcomers.
Whether Ligue1+ can maintain this pace once its promotional pricing ends remains to be seen. But for now, it's clear that French fans are embracing the platform—and LFP Media’s bet on vertical integration is already paying off.