The possibility of a return to free-to-air broadcasts of the Champions League in Italy seems unlikely, following comments by CEO Pier Silvio Berlusconi.
“The choice weighs, over the entire season, depending on the matches broadcast, between half a point and a whole point less in share, but sport has become mainly pay-TV content: it costs a lot of money. Paying a lot is not a sign of wealth but of the difficulty of pay-TV. Today they only manage to sell big events to gain subscribers.”
Berlusconi’s comments match those of presenter Alberto Brandi at the close of the 2023-24 season.
Speaking on the sidelines of a press briefing, Berlusconi said the broadcaster would be careful to seize any comments that arise, but for now the Champions League was “all Sky. Mediaset retains the rights to the Italian Cup and Italian Super Cup.
Mediaset, now part of MediaForEurope, reported positive first-quarter results with a 6.3% uplift in revenues on the back of improved ratings.
