Italy

French media group Vivendi has sealed a deal to acquire the Mediaset Premium pay-television operation of media company Mediaset, one of the leading sports broadcasters in Italy.

Italian media company Mediaset has agreed a deal to sell its pay-television division, Mediaset Premium, to Vivendi as part of a broader alliance with the French media company, according to Bloomberg.

Italian Serie A football team Inter Milan has entered into a partnership with Indonesian telecommunications company Indosat for carriage of its club television channel.

Indian pay-television broadcaster Neo Sports has acquired rights for the Coppa Italia and Coupe de France football club knockout competitions.

Italian media company Mediaset is closing in on a deal to sell its pay-television division, Mediaset Premium, to French media company Vivendi, according to the Reuters news agency.

Sky Italia’s investment in this summer’s two major football tournaments – Euro 2016 and the Copa América Centenario – came as a surprise as the broadcaster had said it has abandoned its strategy of acquiring rights to major events. It does not, however, represent a U-turn – the deals were last-minute, opportunistic acquisitions.

Italian Serie A football clubs have approved the distribution of media-rights revenues for the 2015-16 season.

Pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia has acquired rights for this year’s Copa América Centenario national team football tournament.

Italian media company Mediaset has denied reports that it is in talks with Vivendi over a possible deal to sell its pay-television division to the French media company.

Antonio Campo Dall’Orto, the director general of Rai, has said the Italian state broadcaster has agreed a deal for rights to the Uefa Euro 2016 national team football tournament.

John Manning, research analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence, reviews the most-watched events of 2015 in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Infront Sports & Media’s Italian football business activities are facing a three-pronged attack which could have major long-term repercussions for the agency’s revenues and undermine its behind-the-scenes influence in the country.

Italy’s antitrust authority has notified Lega Serie A, Infront Sports & Media, Mediaset and Sky Italia that their behaviour during the auction process for Serie A media rights constituted a breach of European competition law.

Chinese internet operator Le Sports has today (Thursday) confirmed a wide-ranging partnership with Italian Serie A football team AC Milan which includes carriage of the club’s television channel.

The Infront Sports & Media and MP & Silva agencies both reacted angrily yesterday (Sunday) to reports which appeared in the Italian press over the weekend regarding the handling of the 2014 auction for Serie A media rights and alleged occult payments to help out certain Italian football clubs.

Italian Serie A football team Inter Milan has entered into a partnership with Chinese internet company Le Sports for carriage of its club television channel.

Italian pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia has agreed a deal to acquire a package of football rights previously held by digital terrestrial sports television channel Gazzetta TV, according to Milano Finanza.

Italian pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia and the Mediaset media company have been accused by the country’s antitrust authority, the AGCM, of violating competition law by dividing up rights to domestic football’s Serie A top division and excluding new entrants, according to a report by Sunday newspaper La Repubblica.