Vivendi's Canal+ and BeIN win French Champions League rights

PARIS (Reuters) - Vivendi's <VIV.PA> Canal+ and Qatar-based beIN Sports have won the rights to broadcast Champions League matches in France between 2021 and 2024 for a record 375 million euros (322.2 million pounds) a year, French sports daily l'Equipe reported.

BeIN confirmed in a statement on Friday that it had won the rights. It did not say how much it paid but described the price as "reasoned and thought-through." Canal+ declined to comment.

L'Equipe also reported that TF1 <TFFP.PA>, France's biggest TV broadcaster, obtained the right to show the final of the sport's most-watched club competition.

The sum paid by Canal+ and BeIN is higher than the 315 million euros a year RMC Sport paid for the rights up to 2021. RMC is part of SFR, the telecoms group owned by Altice Europe <ATCA.AS>.

Before that, the Champions League rights had been held by Canal+ and BeIN.

(Reporting by Henri-Pierre Andre and Mathieu Rosemain; Writing by Benoit Van Overstraeten and Christian Lowe; Editing by Alexander Smith)