Italian Minister for Sport Luca Lotti has unveiled a new distribution model for rights income generated by Lega Serie A, the top division of football in the country.
Under the new structure, 50 per cent of Serie A’s total rights income will be shared equally between the clubs – 10 per cent more than under the current model. Thirty per cent of the income will be based on results, while 20 per cent will be allocated on the basis of other “clear criteria that can be accurately measured,” according to Lotti.
Last month, Lega Serie A accepted an offer for its domestic media rights from the Mediapro agency.
The Spanish agency made an offer worth €1,050,001,000 ($1.28bn) per season, exceeding the minimum revenue threshold of €1.05bn.
Reports have suggested that Lega Serie A hopes to generate a total of about €1.4bn when international rights are also taken into account.
Italian government ministers have been considering reforming the so-called Melandri Law, which was introduced in 2008 to enable Lega Serie A to sell rights collectively, for at least the last two years.
Lotti said that the reforms would allow Italian football “to close the historic gap that has existed between the leaders and the so-called smaller clubs, bringing Serie A closer to the likes of the Premier League or Bundesliga”.
He added that the media-rights revenue ratio in Serie A would be reduced from 4:1 to 3:1 between the top and bottom club in the division.