Italy

Spanish agency Mediapro said this week it wanted to create and distribute a Serie A league channel on the same model as the LaLiga channel it distributes in Spain. But Italian law may make this impossible.

Spanish agency Mediapro has pledged to collaborate with all Italian operators and open up new distribution windows after securing a deal for rights to domestic club football league Serie A, but pay-television broadcaster Sky has said it will fight to overturn the agreement.

Lega Serie A, the organising body of the top division of Italian club football, has today (Monday) accepted an offer for its domestic broadcast rights from the Mediapro agency.

Italian public-service broadcaster Rai has bounced back from losing out on rights to this summer’s Fifa World Cup by agreeing three important football deals.

Pay-television operator Sky Italia believes its acquisition of exclusive rights to motor racing’s Formula One world championship can expand its subscriber base, which has been stuck at 4.7m to 4.8m for more than five years.

Lega Serie A, the organising body of the top division of Italian club football, is set to enter into private negotiations over its media rights with Spanish agency Mediapro after talks with broadcasters failed to result in an agreement satisfying its goals for its next domestic contract.

Italian state broadcaster Rai has acquired rights to a host of top football content, including the return of the Uefa Champions League to its screens for the first time in six years, while pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia has secured rights to the Euro 2020 national team tournament.

Pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia will hold exclusive rights to the Formula One motor-racing championship for the first time after sealing a three-season extension to its contract.

US media company Discovery Communications has extended its deal for exclusive Italian rights to the Six Nations national team rugby union tournament.

Lega Serie A, the organising body of the top division of Italian club football, has said it will enter into private negotiations with bidders for its domestic broadcast rights after offers opened yesterday (Monday) failed to meet the minimum revenue target of €1.05bn ($1.26bn) per season.

The International Bank of Qatar has denied reports linking it to the ongoing domestic rights-sales process in Italy for Serie A, the top division of football in the country.

Italian media group Mediaset said this week it expected to make a healthy profit on its acquisition of 2018 Fifa World Cup rights by showing all matches free-to-air.

Italy’s Lega Serie A is hoping to earn €1.05bn ($1.26bn) per season for its domestic live rights in this month’s tender process. To hit that figure, or even come close to it, the league will need to do something it has failed to do in previous auctions: secure an offer which meets its valuation of its OTT rights.

International combat sports channel Fight Network has acquired rights in Italy for the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts series.

Clubs from Serie A, the top division of Italian football, have reportedly rejected a lucrative proposal from the International Bank of Qatar related to the league’s broadcast rights.

Italian public-service broadcaster Rai has sealed a sublicensing deal with media company Discovery Communications for rights to the 2018 winter Olympic Games.