Al-Jazeera’s global ambitions have been broadcast loud and clear across the media industry as they seek to change their brand perception. With plans to cover Doha’s World Cup 2022, Qatar’s investment in its own talent , and purchasing the rights to show France’s Ligue 1, Al-Jazeera is walking into fresh territory: broadcasting European sports to a European audience.
Putting the magnitude of this move in context, ESPN reports:
The arrival of new investment is a major boost to French football at a time when it was thought that their TV revenues would diminish… Al Jazeera Sports recently agreed a six-year deal for the overseas right to French football strengthening the role of football in Qatar, but that is nothing compared to the move into buying up live rights in France itself.
While Al-Jazeera does not publish its financial information (since it is government owned), it is believed that it has done well at home, where they’re broadcasting everything from Wimbledon tennis matches to American basketball to the Middle East, but this $130 million deal is significant since it demonstrates how they are looking to spread themselves globally and work alongside other channels like France’s Canal Plus , which will get to choose which games it wants to broadcast and give the theoretically less enthralling games to Al-Jazeera.
The channel’s responsibility now is to deliver an audience. Pressure is also likely to escalate as France’s national pride kicks in, since Al-Jazeera is replacing Orange, which is part of France Télécom.
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