Italy

The investigation by Italy’s antitrust authority into the sale of Serie A rights, which led to €66m ($75m) in fines being handed down this month, centred on negotiations in a four-day period in June 2014 after bids had been made.

Italy’s antitrust authority, l’Autorità Garante del Mercato e della Concorrenza, has issued fines totalling €66m ($75.3m) in the case surrounding the 2014 sale of rights to Serie A, the top division of domestic football.

The MP & Silva agency has renewed its media rights partnership with the Italian Volleyball League.

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.