Italy

A group of Italian MPs from the coalition government has submitted an amendment to the Melandri Law which would require one live Serie A match per week to be shown on free-to-air television.

Italian premium sports channel Fox Sports acquired rights in the country to two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations in a deal with the Lagardère Sports and Entertainment agency.

Italian Serie A football club AS Roma has said it has become the first team in Europe to live stream a full match via its official page on social media platform Facebook.

The Discovery Italia division of media and entertainment company Discovery Communications has appointed Luigi Filippo Ecuba to lead its sports strategy in Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports has acquired rights in Italy to the next two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations national team football tournament.

Italian media group Mediaset will open up its coverage of the Uefa Champions League club football competition to free-to-air television next season, according to multiple reports.

John Manning, research analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence examines television audiences in selected European markets for the 2015-16 Uefa Champions League.

The four parties involved in the investigation by Italy’s antitrust authority, l’Autorità Garante del Mercato e della Concorrenza, into the sale of Serie A rights, which led to €66m ($74.4m) in fines being handed down in April, have filed appeals against the ruling.

Pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports has agreed a four-season extension to its exclusive rights in Italy to the Bundesliga, the top division of German football.

Italy’s top basketball league, Lega Basket Serie A, has more than doubled the value of its international rights in a renewal with the MP & Silva agency.

John Manning, research analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence examines television audiences in selected European markets for the 2015-16 Uefa Europa League.

Infront Italy president Marco Bogarelli has today (Friday) been appointed as strategic director for Wanda Sports Holding, the Chinese entity that incorporates the Infront Sports & Media agency, endurance brand Ironman and Wanda Sports China.

The MP & Silva agency has extended a worldwide rights distribution deal with Lega Basket, the top division of club basketball in Italy.

Italian pay-television broadcaster Mediaset Premium is to launch the country’s first Ultra HD sports channel for the 2015-16 final of club football competition the Uefa Champions League, which is being hosted in Milan.

The MP & Silva agency is thought to have paid an increase of just under 35 per cent to renew its global rights deal with Italy’s top men’s volleyball league, Lega Pallavolo Serie A.

Sky Italia’s deal for International Basketball Federation (Fiba) national team rights this month is part of a broader plan to help revive the fortunes of the sport in Italy.