German commercial broadcast group RTL and Qatar-based pay-television broadcaster Al Jazeera could be interested in purchasing the pay-television division of Italian media company Mediaset, according to a report in Italian newspaper Il Sore 24.
The report came after Mediaset vice-chairman Pier Silvio Berlusconi said earlier this week that foreign investors had approached the company to explore such a deal. Berlusconi said that the company was not currently in negotiations for such a transaction.
However, the Wall Street Journal disputed suggestions of RTL’s interest by reporting that sources had said that the group is focused on free-to-air rather than pay-television opportunities. RTL also considers Italy to be a weak market, the newspaper added.
Mediaset’s pay-television arm Mediaset Premium has rights for a number of sports properties, including the top Italian domestic football division, Serie A, and the Uefa Europa League club football competition.