Mediaset seeking options for Serie A in wake of auction

Mediaset is to try to strike a deal with OTT TV provider Perform Group or pay TV outfit Sky in order to secure Serie A football for its digital-terrestrial and online platforms in Italy after the broadcast group failed to secure rights on its own.

Mediaset issued a statement last week that it would “seek retransmission rights immediately” after Serie A football rights were awarded to Sky and Perform Group, which is to launch its DAZN OTT TV service in Italy.

The award of rights to the pair followed the controvsersial annulment of an earlier award of rights by La Lega Serie A to Spanish broadcaster Mediapro.

Mediaset sharply criticised the way the Serie A packages had been structured, pointing out that the digital-terrestrial packages it had secured in previous auctions had included all the matches of the best italian teams.

For the current round, La Lega Serie A has divided matches into packages according to time slots rather than award comprehensive packages for different distribution platforms.

Mediaset said it had written to the rightsholders – Sky and Perform – to seek conditions for the retransmission of the matches on digital-terrestrial TV.

Italian press speculation has also focused on the possibility of a deal between Mediaset and Perform to secure rights for Mediaset’s Infinity streaming platform. Financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore pointed out that Perform’s DAZN and Infinity will be offered under similar terms, for €9.99 and €8.99 respectively, with no ongoing commitment, and could be complementary.