Serie A, where we could see it between free-to-air matches and exclusive “Amazon model”

Try to burn time

However, Serie A wants to act quickly and launch the tenders before the end of the month to close the assignment game at the beginning of summer, therefore one year in advance of the current three-year term. And don’t arrive with water at your throat as in the last rounds of assigning rights, also characterized by legal aftermath. For the 2015-18 tender, for example, the Antitrust fined Mediaset, Sky, Lega Serie A and Infront for a total of 67 million (both the Tar and then the Council of State in 2020 disavowed the Agcm in any case, canceling the sanctions).

The 2018-21 tender sanctioned the entry of Dazn on the scene. The current one (2021-24) then represents the three-year period in which Dazn prevailed for 840 million a year. The victory of the platform represented a first time, with Sky which was satisfied, for 87.5 million a year, with the co-exclusivity on 3 of the 10 weekly matches. Fewer matches, but also much less disbursements, without however suffering from the flight of subscribers predicted on the eve.

Sky, Dazn (and Mediaset) variables

Now it is a question of evaluating exogenous and endogenous issues. Those outside the Lega Serie A concern the state of health of Dazn and Sky. In an interview with Sole 24 Ore, CEO Dazn Italia Stefano Azzi clarified that Serie A is of great interest to the platform. But the situation of the accounts of both the first and the second (Sky has launched a plan of voluntary exits or reconversions for 800 employees) invites caution on the possibility that the two main players in pay-per-view football in Italy could go crazy for audiovisual rights. On the other hand, the CEO of the Lega Luigi De Siervo has not failed recently to underline the outcome of the European competitions which sees five clubs from the top division reaching the semi-finals, including the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League (Milan, Inter , Juventus, Roma and Fiorentina). And another question: how will Mediaset behave that from 2024-25 will no longer have the Champions League? Cologno likes the Coppa Italia a lot. And at the right price for the free-to-air game, he wouldn’t back down.

The archival rights node

As for the internal issues of the Lega Serie A, it will be necessary to win the small and large divisions which, according to the Only 24 Hours, would have been created within the Assembly on the issue of archival rights. The plan is to centralize them. We talk about the rights for the year under discussion and for the one immediately behind. Not for those of the past. The dowry requested would be around 50 million a year and should boost the revenue from the tenders. But you have to get the teams to agree. Even those who would feel penalized by the subdivision. And change the statute (which could happen on the 16th).

“There was extensive discussion, with an agreement between the clubs, but there is an important issue such as archive rights that has led the clubs to choose to schedule another meeting”, explained the president of Lega Serie A Lorenzo Casini in the post-assembly press conference on Friday 5 May.