Rai

Italian state broadcaster Rai has acquired rights for Serie B, the second tier of football in the country

Italian public-service broadcaster Rai has bounced back from losing out on rights to this summer’s Fifa World Cup by agreeing three important football deals.

Pay-television operator Sky Italia believes its acquisition of exclusive rights to motor racing’s Formula One world championship can expand its subscriber base, which has been stuck at 4.7m to 4.8m for more than five years.

Italian state broadcaster Rai has acquired rights to a host of top football content, including the return of the Uefa Champions League to its screens for the first time in six years, while pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia has secured rights to the Euro 2020 national team tournament.

Italian public-service broadcaster Rai is understood to be close to a sublicensing deal with Discovery Communications to acquire rights to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games.

Italian state broadcaster Rai has secured rights to the Ski Classics series of long-distance skiing events.

The IMG agency and state broadcaster Rai have emerged triumphant in the international media rights sales process run by Lega Serie A, the organising body of the top division of Italian club football, sealing agreements worth a total of €1.113bn ($1.326bn).

Italy’s third-tier professional football league, Lega Pro, is heading for a substantial increase in the value of its domestic media rights after holding its first formal tender processes for both national and local broadcast rights.

Italian public-service broadcaster Rai and sports broadcaster Eurosport have renewed their deals for the Giro d’Italia, but the shorter domestic contract length and dramatic fee increase in both deals illustrates a more aggressive approach from commercial rights-holder RCS Sport.

Mike Kiernan reviews television audiences across the big five markets for the recently concluded Formula One World Championship

Joseph Rivers, research analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence, examines television audiences in selected European markets for the 2016 Paralympic Games.

David Svenson, research analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence, examines television audiences in selected European markets for the 2016 Olympic Games.

The MP & Silva agency is thought to have paid an increase of just under 35 per cent to renew its global rights deal with Italy’s top men’s volleyball league, Lega Pallavolo Serie A.

Sky Italia’s deal for International Basketball Federation (Fiba) national team rights this month is part of a broader plan to help revive the fortunes of the sport in Italy.

Sky Italia’s investment in this summer’s two major football tournaments – Euro 2016 and the Copa América Centenario – came as a surprise as the broadcaster had said it has abandoned its strategy of acquiring rights to major events. It does not, however, represent a U-turn – the deals were last-minute, opportunistic acquisitions.

Italy’s top basketball league, Lega Basket Serie A, is satisfied with the outcome of its recent domes-tic rights negotiations, even though total fees remain well below the level of five years ago.