Need to go to the renovated site of Canal

Canal , pay chain, made a radically different choice from that of large free French channels TF1 and M6, games online. With the announcement, yesterday, the creation of a joint venture in parity with Ladbrokes English (each investing EUR 2.25 million), the subsidiary of Vivendi thus arise in future operator. "We will file 3 applications for licences for sports betting, horse betting and poker, under a brand name that will remind the name Canal ", explains the "Echos" its President, Bertrand Méheut. In Exchange, Ladbrokes renounces to embark on the French market under its own brand.

For its part, TF1 has taken control of Eurosportbet, launched by its subsidiary Eurosport, but has not stated its intention to continue and develop this diversification. In the meantime, the signed partnerships with the Française des Jeux and PMU, incumbent operators to send back its various websites ("Les Echos" from February 22).

M6 unveiled yesterday also, an association called "strategic" by Valéry Gerfaud, CEO of M6 Web, with BetClic and Everest (poker site). It is a "commercial agreement" over four years, said Nicholas Béraud, CEO, Mangas Gaming, the holding company of Betclick. M6 sites (12 million unique visitors per month) refer to Betclick and Everest. At the same time manga will invest "a significant amount" in the sponsorship of programs dedicated to paris, subject which will be also referred to in existing sports magazines such as "100 football".

Conversely, "Canal is not parasitize emissions editorials and sports broadcasting choices", points out Bertrand Méheut. Pellets of a few minutes can be devoted to betting on the antennae of the group, but sports not will discuss. Not question nor to offer viewers connected to Internet box or satellite bouquets to bet on games broadcast from the television window, as BSkyB in England. Need to go to the renovated site of Canal .

However, "we make joint venture our expertise in sports and horse racing, and our unmatched rights portfolio", says the President of Canal . In short, the images in the possession of the encrypted string can be broadcast live on the dedicated website. A bargaining chip for the new operator when you know that the "live betting" represents approximately 50 of the market of the paris online. Remains whether the holders of rights, such as the professional football league, consider that current contracts make it possible. The interpretations diverge.

The World Cup effect

Bertrand Méheut believes that its new subsidiary, which is based, said, "on the most powerful operator in the sector with 15,000 employees and 1 billion pounds of net sales, Editor's note", will achieve the financial balance "at the end of two years". The operation does not, he added, that like the Française des Jeux, other operators have access to advertising space sold by Canal . A freedom that is consistent also M6 in its contract with BetClic, even if the leaders believe "possible" (after Lyon and Marseille) sponsorship of the Girondins de Bordeaux, subsidiary of the string and whose possession prohibited - for reasons of conflict of interest - a model Canal mounting - Ladbrokes. Unlike M6, the two partners will also take advantage of the dynamics of the World Cup of football, including pay television rebroadcast the games, to launch their new business.