November 16 – The French Professional Football League (LFP) sports venture – e-Ligue 1 – has taken a commercial step forward with the signing of its first broadcast deal for its inaugural season with beIN Sports and Webedia.
The speed at which the e-sports league has come together has seen the LFP blaze a new marketing trail and potential new revenue streams with a core demographic the French federation is trying to excite back into football.
A deal with game developer EA Sports e-Ligue 1 is European soccer’s first eSports league.
The 20 clubs in Ligue 1 have each signed two FIFA 17 players to compete against each other. The league will be played on the Microsoft Xbox 360 player and a Sony PS4 player begins this month culminating in play-offs next May.
Next on the cards is a likely European cup competition. Other European clubs are signing up professional e-sports players, including Manchester City in the Premier League and Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.
Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain entered the eSports market, licensing a brand, name and image following their takeover of League Of Legends roster Team HUMA for $70,000.
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