Paris - January 23, 2003 - CANAL+ has decided to appeal the Competition Council’s decision concerning the call for bids for broadcasting rights to French League 1 soccer matches.

CANAL+ notes that the ruling only calls for protective measures. As a result of this ruling, the French professional soccer league’s decision to award League 1 broadcasting rights to CANAL+ has been temporarily suspended.

CANAL+, which has supported and promoted the French championship since it began broadcasting 18 years ago, holds the majority of the rights to L1 matches up through June 2004. The channel intends to continue offering its subscribers the very best in soccer, a core component in its original programming concept.