Rai and Eurosport ‘seek rights fee cut’ from Lega Basket

Italian public-service broadcaster Rai and pan-European broadcaster Eurosport have turned to Lega Basket, the governing body of Italian domestic basketball, in a plea to reduce their fees for the cancelled 2019-20 season, it has been reported.

The pair have also asked to renew their deals, which expire at the end of the current season, for a further year, according to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport.

Rai and Eurosport acquired the Lega Basket domestic rights in a pair of three-season deals which began from the 2017-18 season.

Rai pays just over €500,000 ($541,000) per season for the domestic free-to-air rights to one match per matchweek.

Eurosport pays around €1.5m per season for the domestic pay-television rights to the Lega Basket. Eurosport also pays the production costs for the Lega Basket on top of its rights fees.

Discovery, the American media company which owns Eurosport, also holds the international rights for the Lega Basket. It acquired the rights in a two-season deal, covering the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.