Al Jazeera Bid for French Rights for Euro 2012

Al Jazeera has made an audacious €130 million bid for the French rights to the Euro 2012 Championships, price beating a rival offer from French broadcasters TF1 and M6 of €100 million , according to reports.

RMC SportBFM TV has reported that Al Jazeera has held talks with Orange Sport and the French football league’s own channel, CFoot, about airing the championship. Al Jazeera does not have a sports channel of its own in the French market. However, media regulator the CSA obliges the rightsholder to air the French national team’s games in the clear, which could present a significant obstacle to the broadcaster. CFoot is present on the French digital-terrestrial pay TV platform.

It was reported last month that Al Jazeera was seeking to acquire exclusive English Premier League rights in the Middle East and also pay-per-view rights in the UK. In France is a shareholder in the Paris Saint-Germain club and owns certain rights to the French championship for the 2012-16 seasons.