French pay-TV giant Canal+ has acquired French and African rights for the Saudi Pro League for the coming two seasons.
The announcement for the deal late Tuesday came just days ahead of the kick-off for the 2023-24 season on Friday (August 11), which will feature 18 clubs and run until May 2024.
Canal+ will air two matches a week while highlights will also be featured in its wider sports programs such as Canal Football Club.
The accord comes amid growing buzz around the Saudi soccer league following a flurry of high-profile international signings topped by Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Riyadh-based Al Nassr at the end of 2022.
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IMG, which was brought into sell international rights for the remainder of the 2022-23 season following Ronaldo’s arrival, is also handling deals for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 season.
The new French deal marks a step up from an agreement struck with Altice France’s RMC Sport channel midway through the 2022-23 season for select matches featuring Ronaldo.
The Saudi Pro League’s upcoming season is likely to spark particularly strong interest in France thanks to the raft of French players in its ranks.
Former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema and Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kanté are with current champions Jeddah-based Al-Ittihad.
French-Ivorian player Seko Fofana, who has played for both national teams, and Senegal’s Sadio Mané play alongside Ronaldo at Al Nassr.
Other players in the league with a strong French following include Senegal’s Kalidou Koulibaly, Serbia’s Sergej Milinković-Savić and Portugal’s Ruben Neves, who all play for Riyadh-based Al Hilal.
The latter club is reported to have courted PSG’s Kylian Mbappé earlier this summer, but without success for now, while there were reports this week that teammate Neymar could be mulling a move to the club.
“We are very happy to be able to offer this brand new football championship exclusively for CANAL+ subscribers,” commented Canal+ Director Of Sports Thomas Sénécal.
The Canal+ soccer offering also includes the UEFA Champions League, the UK’s Premier League, the D1 Arkema French women’s football league and France’s Ligue 1.
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