Italian regulator fines DAZN €500k over Serie A advertisements

OTT operator DAZN has been hit with a €500,000 ($564,000) fine for misleading advertising in Italy.

Italy’s antitrust authority AGCM found the company guilty of two breaches of the country’s consumer code. The investigation into the streaming service began last August.

DAZN was accused of failing to provide adequate information regarding its Serie A football offer for the 2018-19 season.

In its promotional activity, DAZN promoted use of its service “when you want, where you want” without referencing technical limitations that could limit usage, according to AGCM. The regulator also accused DAZN of using a “deceptive” way of luring subscribers to sign up to its live and on-demand service.

The sport streaming platform said it accepted the fine and has taken several actions to improve the service in line with the watchdog’s requirements. It carries TV rights for 114 Serie A matches per season between 2018-19 and 2020-21, with Sky the primary live rights holder in Italy with 152 matches per season.