Sky Italia

Telecommunications company Telecom Italia will show Uefa Champions League and Euro 2016 qualifying games through its TIMvision video-on-demand service after agreeing a sublicensing deal with the football competitions’ rights-holder in the country, pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia.

The European Commission has approved the acquisition of pay-television broadcasters Sky Deutschland and Sky Italia by UK pay-television company BSkyB.

Matteo Mammi has been promoted to the role of director of sports, outside production and operations at Italian pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia, TV Sports Markets understands.

Rupert Murdoch’s two Italian pay-television businesses – the Sky Italia satellite platform and the Fox Sports premium channel – reinforced their football portfolios this week as rival operator Mediaset inched closer to a deal to sell a stake in its Mediaset Premium platform to Qatari broadcaster beIN Sports.

UK pay-television broadcaster BSkyB has confirmed deals to acquire media company 21st Century Fox’s 100 per cent stake in Sky Italia and 57.4 per cent interest in Sky Deutschland, bringing together the leading pay-television businesses in three of Europe’s four biggest markets.

UK pay-television broadcaster BSkyB is set to confirm deals to acquire sister companies Sky Deutschland and Sky Italia in Germany and Italy from media company 21st Century Fox tomorrow (Friday) morning.

Time Warner’s board has approved a measure to block a section of its shareholders from forcing a vote on a takeover bid from rival media company 21st Century Fox, which operates the Fox Sports channels.

Agcom, Italy’s communications regulator, has approved sublicensing deals between pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia and Mediaset Premium’s parent company RTI for coverage of domestic football’s top-tier Serie A.

Italian pay-television operator Sky Italia has acquired the rights to the qualification matches of all European national teams for Uefa Euro 2016 and the 2018 Fifa World Cup.

Last week’s Serie A rights-sharing deal between Italian pay-television operators Mediaset Premium and Sky Italia does not appear to presage a wider truce between the two companies, including a sharing of Uefa Champions League rights.

Pan-European sports broadcaster Eurosport is considering taking legal action following the award of domestic rights for Serie A, the top division of football in Italy, on Friday.

Italian Serie A football clubs have voted to approve the award of the next three-year cycle of media rights, from 2015-16 to 2017-18, with pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia and Mediaset Premium’s parent company RTI securing the main packages.

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 20 clubs of Italy’s Serie A are trying to pick the best possible combination of bids from a rights auction marked by an extraordinary degree of tactical bidding that has thrown the process into confusion.

Andrea Zappia, the chief executive of pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia, has complained that football media rights in Italy are disproportionately expensive and urged the national government to introduce legislation to help the growth of the pay-television sector.

The renewal of the National Basketball Association’s domestic media-rights deal, expected later this year, is the most eagerly awaited in US sport and will no doubt be the biggest of the year.