Nice - Paris

A unique exposition

It will be a first for the French league. And it will take place in Nice. The fixture between the Aiglons and Paris Saint-Germain was brought forward to 1pm, to improve the international development of L1, and more particularly in Asia where the match will be broadcast live at 8pm, during "prime-time". Didier Quillot, Executive Managing Director of the LFP, explains to OGCNICE.COM the idea behind and the challenges of this initiative.  

What was the idea behind this initiative?  

It originated in a more global project: to develop Ligue 1 internationally, to give better value to our rights. And evidently, Asia, and in particular China is a priority target. It's a continent that loves football. In China, the President has even made this sport a priority. Development requires better exposure and that's why we need to put matches on at prime time. On Sunday, this Nice - Paris SG will take place at 8pm, Beijing time. It's not a financial operation. It's a move to promote the league. 

How was the choice made for it to be this match?  

PSG are the main force in our league. To schedule a match, it had to have PSG in it. We wanted a match between European clubs and OGC Nice were in the Europa League. Secondly, the city of Nice is known in China, where it is seen as being prestigious. The shareholders of the club are also very involved in the promotion of OGC Nice in China. What's more, the Chinese love "brands". In luxury markets, they love Dior, Vuitton and Chanel. In sport, they also love the big stars. That includes PSG, of course, but also OGC Nice. In particular, Mario (Balotelli) is well known there.  

And, finally, I want to acknowledge the role of President Jean-Pierre Rivère. He supported this idea. He helped me a lot with the broadcasters Canal+ and beIN, and with Paris SG to confirm the change to kick off time. This fixture therefore quite naturally became the right choice for a match to be played at 1pm.

Something that could make some of the other clubs a bit jealous? 

I hope so, yes! I haven't yet received any speculative applications for the next match, but I have received positive reactions. All clubs are very aware that the value of our rights internationally is a priority, and that requires a modified timetable. This 1pm slot is ideal for the Asian market.

Do you expect to see a negative reaction from French spectators and viewers on TV? 

No. Firstly because you would have to be very negative to think that this is not a good idea, especially when you see that La Liga scheduled the most recent Barça - Real in December at 1pm. Of course, this time isn't one we are used to, even if we have fixtures that kick off at 3pm or in the past at 2pm on a Sunday. But we also need to break away from habits. That adds dynamism to the competition.

And secondly, I always knew that I would be supported by OGC Nice, who have taken this opportunity of a changed kick-off time, to offer entertainment to its supporters both before and after the match. I think there is a garden party planned around the Allianz Riviera. 

I imagine that the stadium will be full, that it will be a party and that we will see goals... 

A test?

Yes, and we will do it again, I hope. I would like to have two or three games at 1pm next season.  

How will you measure the success of this 1pm kick-off?  

To begin with, amongst the crowd in Nice, with the quality of entertainment that the club has put in place. Then with the audiences. The two platforms which will broadcast the match live have 700 million subscribers. We will see how many of them will watch the game. It's a very large pool, in any case. There are also three other broadcasters (see below).

In China, a party will be organised in Guangzhou which will gather Paris and Nice supporters to watch the game together, with a pre-match with games, entertainment etc... All of that will be live on TV. 

The match will also be broadcast live in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. It's not only in China. A large part of the Asian continent will be able to watch the game.

L.O

On top of the two usual Ligue 1 Conforama broadcasters in China,  OTT PPTV and Tencent platforms which boast 700 millions subscribers, will show the game at 8pm on two large regional channels, Shanghai TV and Guangzhou TV, which are seen in 10 million and 30 million households respectively. The match will also be broadcast with a slight delay from 9pm local time by another major regional channel, Guangdong TV, received in 18 million households.