Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners will receive a loan of $505 million from HPS Investment Partners to facilitate its investment in French professional soccer, according to Bloomberg.
In March, CVC acquired a 13% stake in Ligue 1’s media rights business for $1.5 billion. The newly created commercial subsidiary will market both TV and online media rights for Ligue 1.
- Some loan proceeds will go to teams in the Ligue de Football Professionnel.
- A portion will be allocated toward amateur leagues.
- The proceeds will also help the LFP repay a loan from 2020.
Ligue 1’s finances took a hit when broadcast partner MediaPro stopped making payments on its media rights deal worth $877.9 million per year during the 2020-21 season. Since then, Ligue 1 has secured deals with Canal+ and Amazon, but on a split $802 million contract that runs through the 2023-24 season.
The top-flight soccer league reported $680.4 million in losses during the 2020-21 season.
Committed to Soccer
CVC’s commitment to Ligue 1 and the LFP marks its second investment in European soccer media rights. Last year, La Liga agreed to sell CVC an 8% stake in the league’s new company in charge of managing media rights for $2.3 billion.
However, the deal has been opposed by several La Liga clubs, the Spanish Football Association, and Real Federación Española de Fútbol.
