Italian international soccer rights up for grabs

Lega Calcio, the governing body of Italy’s soccer leagues, is selling combined media rights to the country’s top two leagues for six seasons, starting 2010/2011.

The rights have been distributed by various distributors for the past decade, but Lega Calcio will now handle all sales centrally. The tender requires bidders to submit offers by November 2. “We expect significant competition for this valuable rights package,” said Maurizio Beretta, president of Lega Calcio. “As a result, we believe that coverage of Italian football will reach record levels globally.”