Owner of Brighton, Tony Bloom, seeks expansion as he eyes purchase of a French Ligue 1 club.
Tony Bloom Eyeing French Ligue 1 Venture After Hearts Purchase
Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom is fueling speculation about a potential investment in a French Ligue 1 club after his acquisition of a 29% stake in Scottish Premier League side Heart of Midlothian. Bloom's £10 million investment at Tynecastle Park won overwhelming approval from the Foundation of Hearts, the club's majority owners, with 98.5% of the vote in favor.
Bloom's foray into Scottish football follows his purchase of a 19.1% stake in Australian A-League club Melbourne Victory in March. Industry sources reveal that Bloom is actively pursuing investment opportunities in the French market, which has been shaken by the collapse of Ligue 1's domestic broadcast deal with Dazn.
The search for new partners has been escalated by several clubs, including OGC Nice, for whom Ineos have commissioned New York-based bank Lazard to find a buyer.Last year, Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, held talks with Bordeaux and Toulouse, but a deal was not finalized. Bloom's interest in a French Ligue 1 club is personal and unrelated to Brighton, mirroring his investments in Heart of Midlothian and Melbourne Victory.
In other football news, Netflix is seeking to produce a documentary about the EFL promotion play-offs next season. The streaming giant enjoyed considerable success with Sunderland 'Til I Die series and is now considering documenting the drama of the EFL promotion battle across all three divisions. Workerbee has been chosen to negotiate with broadcasters for the project, with Netflix among several companies showing interest.
Reliance Industries, the Ambani family's conglomerate, is in negotiations for the sale of the ECB's Hundred franchises, but a deal has not yet been agreed upon. Seven of the eight investors are ready to sign the participation agreement following concessions from the ECB over reduced voting rights and unbundling of the TV contract. However, Reliance has yet to agree to the terms, and the ECB may decide to complete the remaining sales first.
In a bid to become the UK's premier rugby broadcaster, Premier Sports is expected to acquire live rights for matches in both the English and French second divisions. The new secondary tier, known as Champ Rugby, will consist of 14 clubs competing for the title, with the champions competing against the bottom side in the Gallagher Premiership. Premier has expressed interest in showing regular season games and the play-offs, in addition to France's Rugby ProD2.
American investors have been increasingly drawn to National League clubs, with the price of EFL clubs on the rise. Media entrepreneur David Gandler paid £19 million for League One Leyton Orient last month despite the club not owning their ground, while an Australian consortium agreed to buy Southend United, sight unseen, and have reached the National League play-off final against Oldham.
- Tony Bloom's latest venture in the European football landscape could potentially involve investing in a French Ligue 1 club, as he previously acquired a stake in Scottish Premier League team Heart of Midlothian.
- The finance market is abuzz with the news of Bloom's pursuit of investment opportunities in the French market, especially after the collapse of Ligue 1's domestic broadcast deal with Dazn.
- With his investments in different sports leagues such as the Scottish Premier League, Australian A-League, and now likely French Ligue 1, it is evident that Bloom is not limiting his business interests to just one sports or league.
- As the interest in British sports clubs by American investors rises, the business world watches closely to see if Bloom's potential move to a French Ligue 1 club will set a new trend in the sports finance industry.
