Mediaset has complained to football’s European governing body Uefa after coverage of a Champions League match was made available in Italy, apparently diluting the Italian media group’s exclusive coverage of the tournament.
German public-service broadcaster ZDF showed last week’s Bayer Leverkusen v Lazio match on free-to-air satellite television, with the coverage accessible in Italy via pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia, which offers ZDF on channel 546.
Mediaset had advertised its coverage of the game as being exclusive to subscribers of its premium pay-television service. Uefa has said it will investigate the situation.
Last February, Mediaset acquired exclusive rights in Italy for the Champions League in a deal worth just over €230m ($285m) per season for three seasons, from 2015-16 to 2017-18.