French Premier League (Football/Soccer) Kicks Off In UK In TWI Deal
11/3/04 5:57

London � 3 November 2004 - Channel 4 is to screen French Premier League (football/soccer) matches from the middle of this month (Nov) in a deal by TWI, who will also produce the show.

It will be the first time France�s Ligue 1 (the LFP � Ligue de Football Professionel) is shown on terrestrial television in the UK.

And it will bring the French game to a new generation of football fans as C4 did previously with its coverage of Football Italia.

The action will kick off with a series of Saturday night games shown from 13 November, followed by matches and highlights on Sunday mornings from 9 January.

It will feature games by players like French international and former Manchester United star Fabien Barthez, who now plays with Ligue 1 side Marseille, or ex- Arsenal player Sylvain Wiltord, now with Lyon.

TWI recently won a four-year deal for the international broadcasting rights to Ligue 1. It also already produces the long-running sports magazine show Trans World Sport, which is shown on C4 on Sunday mornings, and gains a 260 million audience across 131 countries.

Michael Mellor, TWI Senior Vice President, said: �It is fantastic that French football will be able to be seen on terrestrial TV in the UK for the first time. You have only got to look at the English Premiership to see how many exciting footballers are coming out of France at the moment. The C4 deal will enable French football fans to see the Thierry Henrys and Patrick Vieiras of the future.�

David Kerr, C4 Head of Sport, said: "Clubs from the French League are thriving in Europe and Le Championnat has been an amazing talent factory in recent years.  Its quality football and will attract a loyal following, not least from the many French people that currently reside in the UK.  We like to think we have a traditon here at 4 for showing the best club football from overseas leagues, from the old Serie A days to our recent coverage of Copa Libertadores, the South American club championship.  We're delighted to add French Football to our portfolio."

Stephane Dor, LFP Marketing Director, said: �We are delighted that the French Ligue 1 is now going to be shown in the UK on C4. It is an opportunity for English fans to discover the quality of our League. And we hope our clubs will continue to rival English clubs in the European competitions.�

ENDS

Editor�s Notes:
TWI is the television arm of sports marketing giant IMG and is the largest independent distributor and producer of televised sports in the world.

Madeleine Pallas, PR Manager for European Operations, IMG/TWI
tel:  +44 (0) 20 8233 7425/ mob: +44 (0) 7973 326 422 or [email protected]

 

 

 

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