US entertainment giants Walt Disney and Skydance are considering bids for the broadcasting rights to Ligue 1, as the French top-flight football league seeks to regain ground following a sharp decline in media revenues in recent years, according to Bloomberg.

The French Professional Football League (LFP) launched a tender last week for its audiovisual rights covering the 2027-2032 period, with interested parties required to submit their bids by December 3.

Bidders can submit offers either for the full package of broadcasting rights or for exclusive distribution of the league’s streaming service. A minimum reserve price has been set for the auction, although no figures have been disclosed, according to sources cited by the news agency.

French football broadcasting rights were once worth around €1 billion annually but have since fallen to approximately €180 million, Bloomberg reports.

Both Disney and Skydance already hold sports broadcasting rights in the French market and now have the opportunity to add Ligue 1, home to the best team of the year according to the Ballon d’Or ranking, to their portfolios.

Disney broadcasts every La Liga match in partnership with DAZN and also holds the rights to the UEFA Women’s Champions League until the 2029-30 season.

Skydance, meanwhile, has significantly expanded its sports offering following its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Its portfolio now includes Eurosport, TNT Sports and HBO Max, while its French operations broadcast events such as cycling, tennis and the Olympic Games.

The two entertainment giants could face competition from Canal+, which was once the French league’s main broadcasting partner before being replaced by Mediapro, following a higher-value bid. BeIN Sports could also enter the race.