PSG vs Inter Milan Champions League Final to Air Free on M6

The much-anticipated Champions League final between PSG and Inter Milan, happening in Munich on May 31st, will be broadcast free for viewers, a welcome relief for those relying on terrestrial television. This is due to a mandatory institutional rule that also applies during the Olympics or when the French national football team plays. For the first time in its history, the M6 group will air the broadcast.

This move is politically popular, as the law mandates certain sports events to be aired without charge. Due to the privatization of sports like football, handball, and Formula 1, political decisions ensure that significant sports events remain accessible to everyone.

Events like the matches of the French national football team, the Olympics, the Top 14 final, the French Open, and the rugby matches of XV de France are amongst these key events. Thus, irrespective of the competing clubs, the Champions League final featuring PSG and Inter Milan is deemed a major sporting event by authorities.

In an unprecedented move, M6 has been granted the rights to broadcast the Champions League final. While Canal+ has aired the entire competition in France, the final must also be shown on a free channel. Consequently, on May 31st, Canal+ must hand over its broadcast rights to M6, since it no longer has a free-to-air channel. “For the first time in its history, M6 will serve as the official free-to-air broadcaster of the Champions League finals in 2025, 2026, and 2027, the most prestigious European club competition,” celebrated M6 in a statement.

This requirement is due to a decree issued in 2004. M6 was competing against other groups such as TF1—who previously held the rights for this match between 2022 and 2024 and in 2020 and pre-2015. The final is one of the “events of major importance” protected by law, which necessitates a free broadcast, akin to about twenty other events like the Olympic Games.

Back in May 2022, the pinnacle of European football, which saw Real Madrid defeating Liverpool amidst notable unrest, attracted nearly 7 million viewers on TF1.