Sky Italia

Sky, Rupert Murdoch’s European pay-television company, which was created in November 2014 from the merger of previously separate platforms in the UK, Germany and Italy, has unified its sports operations by creating a single European sports division under the control of Andrea Zappia.

Italian media company Mediaset is closing in on a deal to sell its pay-television division, Mediaset Premium, to French media company Vivendi, according to the Reuters news agency.

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 antitrust authority has notified Lega Serie A, Infront Sports & Media, Mediaset and Sky Italia that their behaviour during the auction process for Serie A media rights constituted a breach of European competition law.

England’s Premier League has almost doubled its income in recently-agreed deals covering 11 territories across Europe.

Sky renewed its deal for European club rugby and picked up Russian Premier League rights after a four-year hiatus.

Italian pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia has acquired rights for football’s Russian Premier League.

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.

Italian Serie A football club AS Roma has launched its own television channel through a multi-year partnership with pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia.

Lega Basket, which operates the top division of basketball in Italy, has agreed two-year rights deals with state broadcaster Rai and pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia.

European pay-television group Sky today (Wednesday) said it expects to perform strongly in its new financial year after posting better-than-expected profits for 2014-15.

Italian pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia has renewed a rights deal with the WWE wrestling entertainment organisation.

Italian media company Mediaset and pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia have defended their positions after their offices were searched as part of an investigation by regulators into the sale of media rights for Serie A, the top division of football in the country.

Italian pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia has acquired domestic rights for Serie B, the second division of football in the country.

Italian pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia is maintaining “informal contacts” with media group Mediaset after being rebuffed in an approach to acquire pay-television business Mediaset Premium, according to Reuters.

Italian pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia has struck a partnership with telecommunications company Telecom Italia (TIM) under which a new IPTV service will be launched featuring its sports content.