Netflix signs major football deal

Netflix has acquired the rights to broadcast French Ligue 1 matches from the start of the upcoming season. In recent years, TV rights have become one of the most profitable aspects of football finance.

With the internet taking over the latest generation of viewers' watch hours, the sport has been seeking newer ways to rake in more profits in the form of digital viewership.

As Marca reports, Netflix has recently reached an agreement with Mediapro. As a result of the deal, the American OTT platform will broadcast Ligue 1 games starting August 17.

Reportedly, Mediapro has also come to an agreement with RMC Sport to broadcast the 2020-21 Champions League and Europa League tournaments. It remains to be seen if these tournaments will end up in Netflix as well. The service is expected to cost viewers about 30 euros per month on annual subscriptions.

The 2019-20 Champions League and Europa League competitions are still ongoing, with the second leg encounters of the round-of-16 and other stages, namely the last-eight, semi-finals, and the finals, all still yet yet to be played. The season was halted back in March amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Europa League will resume on August 5, with Shakhtar Donetsk taking on Wolfsburg at home. At the same day and time, Copenhagen will play Istanbul Basaksehir at home.

On the same day, Manchester United will play LASK at Old Trafford while Inter Milan and Getafe will face each other at Veltins-Arena in Germany.

Meanwhile in the Champions League, Juventus will host Lyon at the Allianz Stadium on August 7. After the first leg, Cristiano Ronaldo's side is trailing 0-1. They will be eager to win by at least two goals to secure their last-eight qualification.

In another heavyweight match, Manchester City will host Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium. The Sky Blues are leading Los Blancos 2-1, courtesy of the Premier League side's terrific performance at the Santiago Bernabeu in February.

Chelsea and Bayern Munich will face each other in Munich on August 8. Chelsea is trailing 0-3, courtesy of their loss at Stamford Bridge back in February. On that same day, Barcelona will host Napoli at Camp Nou. Their first leg encounter ended in a 1-1 draw in Italy.

All of the matches will be played in front of empty stands.