Italy’s antitrust authority has given its approval to the football authority’s pay-TV rights sale following a concession by Lega Calcio.
In July, Lega Calcio awarded Sky Italia Package A, the so-called Platinum Live, giving it both satellite and IPTV rights to Italy’s top league for the next two seasons from 2010/11. Mediaset won the C Package, Gold Live, for digital terrestrial transmission and IPTV. An investigation followed amid concerns that the award had simply been made to the incumbent operators.
Lega Calcio responded by creating a new highlights package from the Serie A games. The Platinum Live package for the lower Serie B will also be split into three separate packages. The league has also promised to follow the authority’s direction for new guidelines to be introduced from the 2012/13 season. The authority responded by saying the new procedure would create more intense competition in the future.
