[Saba Sports News] According to the latest news from English media outlets, French Ligue 1 side Nice, owned by Manchester United shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has not received any offers from major consortia since being put up for sale last year. Even after slashing its asking price significantly, the club still has not attracted any formal bids, with negotiations remaining stuck at the initial contact stage and yielding no substantive progress.
It is understood that the sharp decline in broadcasting revenue is one of the key contributing factors. Following the collapse of Ligue 1’s broadcasting deal with DAZN, the league switched to operating its own subscription-based platform. As a result, the projected total value of domestic broadcasting rights has plummeted by half, from an expected €1 billion to just €500 million. France’s football financial regulator has informed all clubs not to include media income in their budget forecasts, which has drastically undermined the stability of Nice’s future revenue streams and led potential buyers to slash their valuation of the club accordingly.
Broadcasting rights revenue serves as a crucial commercial pillar for football clubs, and this uncertainty has directly shaken the foundation of Nice’s market valuation. Potential buyers generally hold the view that the club’s valuation remains excessively high even after the price reduction. Compounding this issue is Ligue 1’s relatively weak commercial influence compared to top-tier leagues like the Premier League and La Liga. Although Nice benefits from the geographical advantage of being located on the French Riviera, its local market size is limited, making it difficult to generate high investment returns in the short term.