Ligue 1+ promises to “immerse” viewers to better attract them

This is one of the promises of the new French professional football channel , Ligue 1 +: greater "immersion" of the viewer, if not in the game, then at least in the life of the teams. On the menu from the first match broadcast ( Rennes-Marseille , Friday August 15), sequences in the team bus, in their locker rooms and that of the referees...

"The pre-match must give a little more space to the live actors, the players, the coaches, the referees, to avoid being stuck between journalists and consultants on the sidelines," explained Jérôme Cazadieu , the channel's editorial director. However, is immersion an improvement?

For example, this will involve monitoring warm-ups with mobile cameras on the pitch, equipping a member of staff with a microphone, and interviewing the coach before the start of the second half or a player substituted during it. A cameraman will even be able to enter the pitch during a goal celebration, breaking the sanctuary of the playing field.

Along the same lines, the use of a "ref cam" , a camera worn by the referee during the last Club World Cup and tested in the Premier League this season, is under negotiation with the authorities. The idea extends that of the "sound system" for referees .

Insufficient access to behind-the-scenes coverage of clubs and matches was precisely one of the grievances cited by last season's broadcaster, DAZN, in its dispute with the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP). The operator saw it as one of the reasons for its low subscriber numbers and a commitment not honored by the league.

Faced with this demand shared by previous broadcasters, clubs are reluctant to give access to their privacy and the "secret of the dressing room", less for fear of leaking tactical indiscretions than of weakening the necessary separation between the wings and the stage.

In an environment overexposed by the media, the invasive presence of cameras and microphones presents risks, such as the disclosure of internal tensions or even controversial remarks, if not that of distracting the players.

This promise of immersion was already that of Canal+ in November 1984 when the new encrypted channel began broadcasting the French championship . Charles Biétry, head of the sports department, would later say that he wanted to "add depth, emotion, and sound to this football, which was then televised "in two dimensions . " "We wanted to offer a total spectacle, to film the emotions on the faces," added the director of the first match, Jean-Paul Jaud. The new grammar of sports broadcasting was taking shape.

Cameras are scattered behind the goals and along the access corridor to the pitch, along with microphones to capture the atmosphere and give the players a voice. Journalists appear on the edge of the pitch. Until the 2010s, it was customary to witness the chaotic celebrations in the winning team's dressing room.

The production intends to delve into the game itself. From five during the inaugural Nantes-Monaco in 1984, the number of cameras increases to around thirty and the number of shots to several hundred . Slow motion, close-ups of faces, cutaways to players with the ball at their feet, on the benches, in the stands... even if this meta-spectacle makes us lose sight of the game and drowns the viewer in the images .

However, in a context where relations between stakeholders and the media are both strained and relaxed, where club communication is increasingly regulated and neutralized, where the risks of controversy are increasing, this penetration of broadcasters into the privacy of teams will soon no longer be taken for granted.

Ligue 1+ intends to gradually implement its interference so as not to upset the clubs. The clubs, for their part, will respond all the more favorably to this request since their survival depends on the success of the new channel.

It remains to be seen whether this approach improves the quality of the show and the viewer experience. The added value of player interviews, particularly at halftime, is questionable given their formatted delivery. All these "extras" are not truly new and are not intended to reinvent televised football or take it to the next level.

The idea is to deliver a more compelling, though not necessarily more qualitative, narrative, without questioning editorial choices that have become habitual—such as those surrounding match production. When it comes to restoring the connection with French football audiences, efforts and innovations would nevertheless be welcome.

Initial impressions suggest that the post-match and broadcasts (with an excessively male cast, however) will leave more room for analysis of the game, supported by images and expertise, and will avoid the trap of the ranting talk show. At least we can expect a moderation in the ritual denigration of the referees .

Because the elephant in the room at Ligue 1+ is that it's an institutional channel that, even more than traditional rights holders, must sell its product. There's less talk than ever of taking a critical look at French football—its economy, its governance, its relationships with the public. Yet Ligue 1+ is the fruit of this.