Amazon is reportedly interested in making a play for the domestic broadcast rights to Italy’s Serie A.
The Seattle-based retail and media giant has long been touted as a potential player to rival incumbent rights holders Sky and DAZN, but a new report from Bloomberg puts the company the closest it has ever been to formally submitting a bid.
The report claims that representatives from Serie A and Amazon have held talks over the past weeks, with Amazon interested in streaming matches on Prime Video.
Should a deal manifest, it would bulk up an increasing portfolio of sports rights in Italy, with the company already holding an exclusive rights package to the Champions League for the 2021-24 seasons.
Serving as a key differentiator between it and Netflix, Amazon has heavily invested in sports coverage internationally. In the UK, it holds a package of English Premier League matches, while it has also picked up a number of NFL games in the US.
The push comes after Serie A launched a new media unit at the end of 2020 in what has been described as “a true turning point” for Italian football.
Serie A has historically been undervalued when compared to the other members of European football’s so-called big five leagues. The media unit is looking to rectify this, by seeking at least €1.15 billion per season for the domestic rights.
The deadline for interested parties to submit bids for the next domestic rights cycle is January 26.
