Sky Italia has emerged as the major winner after Italy’s re-run Serie A auction.
The broadcaster has secured seven out of ten games each match day, representing 266 games per season for three years from 2018/19.
“We are proud to be able to continue to guarantee the best and most extensive coverage of Serie A football to our customers through an unprecedented exclusive offer,” said Sky Italia CEO Andrea Zappia said: Today Sky can proudly offer its customers the most exclusive football coverage, along with the best television experience and convenience of choice thanks to the possibility of watching content across multiple platforms including Sky Sports on DTT for the first time.”
Combined with Perform Group, which will screen 114 matches (see separate story), the Italian football league will benefit to the tune of €973 million each season.
Under the terms of the new deal, Sky will pay around a third less for each exclusive match versus the current agreement.
The auction was re-run after the initial victor, the Spanish-Chinese outfit Mediapro failed to come up with the necessary financial guarantees.
Mediaset dropped out of the contest after its €600 million offer fell short. It plans to negotiate with the winners to give its subscribers access to the games.
