A vote by Serie A clubs on the award of packages of domestic rights for the next cycle of Italian football’s top tier has been postponed by two days, until tomorrow (Wednesday).
The clubs were due to vote on the bids for the packages for three years, from 2015-16 to 2017-18, on Monday, but the process has been complicated by a dispute between the two main bidders, pay-television broadcasters Mediaset Premium and Sky Italia, regarding the interpretation of the rules of the tender.
Mediaset Premium has written to the clubs to complain of “interference” by Sky in the tender, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper, while Sky has warned the league that it could face legal action unless it awards the rights to the highest bidders.
Sky has outbid Mediaset for the two packages of live rights for the top eight teams, one covering satellite delivery and the other via digital-terrestrial. Sky does not have a digital-terrestrial television platform, but last week agreed a deal with Telecom Italia to broadcast matches on five channels on the former state telco’s digital-terrestrial multiplex.
Mediaset outbid Sky for the exclusive live rights to the other 12 Serie A teams, but the bid was conditional upon it also winning one of the eight-team packages.