State broadcaster Rai has acquired the broadcasting rights in Italy to all the Italian national football team’s matches in the European qualifiers for the Uefa Euro 2016 and the 2018 Fifa World Cup competitions.
Rai will show all of Italy's qualifying matches live on its flagship channel, Rai Uno, as well as a highlights programme on the same night on Rai Sport rounding up all the day’s European qualifiers.
Giuseppe Pasciucco, Rai’s head of sports rights, said: “We express our special thanks to Uefa for continuing its long running partnership with Rai. With this deal, Rai will provide football fans in Italy with a multi-platform coverage on a free basis of all the Italian matches played in the European qualifiers, further characterising the sports TV programming of Rai as a public-service broadcaster.”
Uefa, European football’s governing body, said an announcement regarding the sale of the remaining rights in Italy, which include the live broadcast of all other matches forming part of the European qualifiers, will be made in due course.