Italy
Fifa and MP & Silva struggle in Italy as TV4 anticipates jackpot
Rai, Mediaset and Sky were all expected to bid this week for a cut-price 2018 Fifa World Cup. The rights in Italy have plummeted in value since the national team failed to qualify for the tournament, losing a play-off to Sweden.
Serie A domestic rights process facing further delays
Lega Serie A, the organising body of the top division of Italian club football, has opted to postpone approval of a sales process for its next set of domestic broadcast rights.
Club World Cup rights deals sealed in Italy, sub-Saharan Africa
Pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports has acquired rights in Italy to the 2017 Fifa Club World Cup, while pay-television operator StarTimes, which broadcasts in sub-Saharan Africa, has extended its deal for the annual football tournament.
Eleven adds boxing content in Italy, Belgium
International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports has linked up with combat sports distributor Fighting Spirit to deliver live boxing action in Italy and Belgium.
Rai takes rights to Italian Ski Classics
Italian state broadcaster Rai has secured rights to the Ski Classics series of long-distance skiing events.
Sportsfix deal returns Serie A to Malaysia
Sportsfix, an OTT service serving Southeast Asia, has acquired rights in Malaysia for Serie A, the top division of Italian football.
Ginx Esports TV launches in Italy
The Ginx Esports TV channel has agreed a carriage deal in Italy with pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia.
Vivendi-Telecom-Mediaset axis poses threat to Sky’s dominance
Rights-holders are keenly following negotiations between French conglomerate Vivendi and Italian media group Mediaset, which could unblock the impasse over Vivendi’s takeover of the Mediaset Premium pay-television platform.
TIM, Canal Plus formalise joint venture
Italian telecommunications group Telecom Italia (TIM) has finalised the creation of a joint venture with French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus.
Mediaset signs rights deal ahead of Rome’s Formula E debut
Italian broadcaster Mediaset has agreed a three-season rights deal for the Formula E electric car-racing series as Rome prepares to enter the calendar for the 2017-18 campaign.
Juventus launches VR app
Italian Serie A football club Juventus has launched a new virtual reality mobile application, Juventus VR.
Fox swoops for college sport and volleyball after Euroleague loss
Fox Sports Italia has filled the Euroleague-shaped hole in its midweek schedule and rounded out its North American sports coverage by acquiring rights to the CEV Champions League and NCAA college basketball and football
Six Nations signs off long-term NBC deal but suffers fall in Italy
The Six Nations last week secured a long-term deal with media company NBCUniversal in the US, but is understood to have suffered a 40-per-cent fall in the value of its rights in Italy.
IMG and Rai land Serie A international rights
The IMG agency and state broadcaster Rai have emerged triumphant in the international media rights sales process run by Lega Serie A, the organising body of the top division of Italian club football, sealing agreements worth a total of €1.113bn ($1.326bn).
Juventus claims first with Netflix partnership
Italian Serie A champion Juventus has claimed a first for the football market by entering into a partnership with online streaming service Netflix.
Women’s Serie A gains Facebook platform
Coverage of the Italian Serie A women’s football competition will be shown on social media website Facebook.
TIM approves sports venture with Canal Plus, appoints CEO
Italian telecommunications group Telecom Italia (TIM) has approved the creation of a joint venture with French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus that is set to compete for sports rights in Italy, while it has also appointed a new chief executive as part of ongoing development efforts.
Inter Milan rebrands TV channel through Media House project
Italian Serie A football club Inter Milan has rebranded its television channel as part of a major revamp of its in-house media operations.