FDJ elevates Ligue 1 coverage for ParionsSport network

FDJ United has entered into a transformative partnership with Ligue 1+ Pro to expand the coverage of French top-flight football fixtures across local communities. Ligue 1+ Pro, the broadcast and IP platform of Ligue 1 McDonald’s operated by LFP Media, will allow FDJ’s ParionsSport to serve as a distribution partner. The agreement carries significance for Ligue 1, as FDJ will promote the service across its network of nearly 29,000 retail partners throughout France, including bars, cafés, restaurants and ParionsSport points of sale. Participating venues will be able to subscribe to Ligue 1+ Pro and broadcast every Ligue 1 McDonald’s fixture, alongside more than 27 hours of live programming each week. The package includes dedicated magazine shows, expert analysis and editorial programming, as well as the return of the Saturday evening Ligue 1 multiplex. LFP Media views the partnership as an important distribution channel for broadening access to its newly established direct-to-consumer platform, while encouraging more supporters to watch French football together in local venues. Olivier Bramly, Chief Executive of LFP Media, commented: “The emotions of football take on their full meaning when they are shared. With Ligue 1+ Pro, we want to offer supporters more opportunities to experience the highlights of our competitions together in local establishments. “The partnership concluded with FDJ UNITED represents an important step towards this ambition. Thanks to the strength of its network and its longstanding commitment to sport, we will be able to bring Ligue 1 McDonald’s and Ligue 2 BKT even closer to their audiences and raise the profile of our competitions at the heart of local communities.” FDJ advances B2B profile The partnership supports FDJ’s broader commercial strategy to expand its B2B offering beyond traditional lottery point-of-sale solutions. Its growing portfolio now includes payment services, retail technology and the distribution of Ligue 1 broadcast packages to hospitality venues. During H2, FDJ will reposition ParionsSport as a retail-only sports betting brand. In April, the group migrated ParionsSport’s online operations to Unibet.fr, delivering a key objective of its €4bn acquisition of Kindred Group and simplifying its brand structure in the French market. Group CEO Stéphane Pallez, underscored the significance of FDJ accelerating its B2B services in both France and international markets as a key commercial objective for the Paris Euronext gambling group Karl Lorenzon, Head of FDJ’s retail sports betting business, underlined the importance of local retailers to the group’s sports strategy. “FDJ United’s retail partners are key players in local life, as well as an essential link in bringing sports fans together,” he said. “This association between ParionsSport and Ligue 1+ creates new opportunities for shared experiences and synergies between our retail partners, supporters and French football, placing proximity at the heart of the sporting experience. “This year, we will experience the emotions of football even more intensely, and we are very proud of that.”