Pursuits
Drahi's Altice Buys English Soccer Broadcast Rights for France
- Billionaire Drahi pushes into content after acquisition spree
- Altice beats out current rights holder Canal Plus of Vivendi
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Patrick Drahi’s Altice NV won the rights to broadcast English Premier League soccer in France and Monaco, beating Vivendi SA’s pay-TV business Canal Plus and betting more aggressively on sports to attract customers to his phone and cable offerings.
In France, customers of Altice’s phone and cable provider Numericable-SFR SAS will be able to watch all of the matches in the league, whose teams include Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, starting in August. The contract runs for three seasons, the company said Thursday, without disclosing a price. Altice paid about 300 million euros ($317.5 million), according to a person familiar with the matter.