Lega Serie A
Features
Serie A’s stripped-down international rights tender puzzles agencies
Serie A’s carve out of important rights in its international rights invitation to tender for the 2021-24 cycle has surprised potential agency bidders. Agency sources say there is a premium attached to being the sole global distributor of a property, which is reflected in rights fees. This will be lost in the current process.
OTT challenge to Sky’s Serie A dominance unlikely despite court upholding internet ban
The ruling this month from Italy’s highest administrative court, which brought an end to the legal battle over Sky Italia’s ability to acquire exclusive internet rights, was ostensibly good news for OTT operators. It prevents Italy’s dominant ‘legacy’ pay-television operator from buying these rights, at least until 2022.
Serie A delays domestic tender to April to allow clearer market landscape to emerge
Italy’s Lega Serie A will launch a tender in April for its domestic media rights for the three seasons from 2021-22 to 2023-24, SportBusiness Media understands. The delay opens space for the resolution of several outstanding issues that have, so far, complicated the process.
Mediapro happy to be Serie A stalking horse, but clubs may need convincing
The Mediapro agency’s offer for the domestic media rights to Serie A for the next two cycles, covering the six seasons from 2021-22 to 2026-27, is a plan B for the league in case it is unable to sell its rights in a competitive tender. The offer is the same as that made by the Spanish production house for the current cycle – an offer accepted by the clubs last year but later rejected.
IMG hopes of emerging unscathed from Serie A antitrust probe hang in the balance
The Italian competition authority’s investigation into the sale of rights for Serie A is ostensibly a disaster for MP & Silva and B4 and a let-off for IMG. But MP & Silva and B4 are no longer active and IMG could yet face a major problem. The agency could be hit with a substantial damages claim by the league for lost earnings.
IMG-Serie A legal battle would place league’s Italian-language rights strategy under microscope
In rejecting IMG’s damages claim for nearly €60m ($67.2m) in April, Lega Serie A has presented the agency with a dilemma. Taking the league to court could be expensive with no guarantee of success. And there are issues of reputation and positioning in the market.
CR7 tempts Fox Sports Asia into Serie A deals in Singapore and Malaysia
Fox Sports Asia’s new two-and-a-half-season deal with IMG for Serie A rights in Singapore and Malaysia, is understood to be worth about $7m (€6.1m) for both territories combined, equating to about $2.3m
IMG launches €50m damages claim against Serie A over free Rai coverage in Latin America
The IMG agency has initiated a damages claim against the Italian football league, Lega Serie A, for €50m ($57m).
Coppa Italia value set to plummet as sales process drags on into new season
Italy’s Lega Serie A is heading for a big drop in the value of the media rights to the Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup following last year’s decision to take the rights in-house and sell market-by-market.
Eleven Sports’ ‘3pm blackout’ challenge could see rule scrapped
Eleven Sports’ decision to break one of the golden rules of UK sports broadcasting – the ‘3pm blackout’ – has created a legal quandary that could result in it being scrapped altogether.
Eleve
DAZN pays up to keep hold of Serie A in Germany and Austria
Perform-owned OTT service DAZN has paid an increase of close to 70 per cent to retain its hold on rights to Italy’s Serie A in Germany and Austria.
Sony retains LaLiga coverage via Facebook sublicensing deal
Facebook this week sublicensed some coverage of Spain’s LaLiga to Sony Pictures Networks India across the Indian subcontinent, recouping about 20 per cent of its investment in the rights.
Ziggo strengthens European football portfolio without paying a premium
Dutch telco Ziggo has bolstered its portfolio of European football rights, picking up Italian Serie A and English FA Cup rights in relatively low-cost deals.
Serie A and Lega B conclude deals for minor domestic rights
Italian state broadcaster Rai acquired extensive free-to-air television highlights and radio rights to the country’s second football division, Lega B, for the next three seasons, 2018-19 to 2020-21, i…
Portugal and Africa bring strong Serie A increases for IMG
Gauging the success of IMG’s Serie A international rights acquisition won’t be possible until the end of the cycle given the agency has launched direct-to-consumer offerings in more than 20 markets.
Ligue 1 rights sold but Serie A still without a home in Germany
Serie A rights remain unsold in Germany and Austria with new season fast approaching
DAZN renews Ligue 1 for just over €500,000 per season, up from €300,000 per season
In
Telekom Austria and bTV to share Champions League in Bulgaria
Telekom Austria’s push for Champions League rights helped drive the value of Uefa club competitions in Bulgaria up by about 30 per cent from 2018-19.
Melita and Go end rivalry to form joint venture in Maltese market
Maltese telcos Go and Melita will progress with a long-discussed joint venture after two media-rights deals removed one of its biggest sticking points.
Performance bonus deals mean judgement on Serie A must wait
Italy’s Lega Serie A is set to earn €973m ($1.13bn) per season for its domestic live rights in the next cycle following last week’s deals with Sky and Perform. This can be considered either a success or a failure depending on which benchmark it is measured against
IMG earns strong Serie A increase from incumbent beIN in France
BeIN to pay about €23m per season for Serie A in France, from 2018-19 to 2020-21
Previous beIN deal, from 2015-16 to 2017-18, was worth about €16m per season
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Serie A value drops in Greece as Nova swoops to replace Cosmote
The value of Serie A rights in Greece is set to fall after incumbent pay-television broadcaster Cosmote refused to match its existing fee
Jettisoned Mediapro refuses to concede defeat in Serie A battle
Italy’s Lega Serie A moved into private negotiations with broadcasters this week for rights to the next three seasons, from 2018-19 to 2020-21, having cancelled its contract with Mediapro.
TV2 to continue big spending on top football rights in Hungary
Hungarian commercial and pay-television broadcaster TV2 is close to finalising deals for Spain’s LaLiga and Italy’s Serie A.
Cyta set to pay small increase to renew Serie A rights in Cyprus
Telco Cyta has secured Italian Serie A rights in Cyprus after completing a deal with IMG, TV Sports Markets understands.