As Serie A continues to maximise its next TV rights deal, Chief Executive Luigi De Siervo has revealed the league is prepared to roll out its own streaming service to broadcast fixtures.
With the explosion of value in direct-to-consumer and OTT streaming platforms in recent years, De Siervo is prepared to accelerate the launch of a league-dedicated service if its €1bn-per-season broadcast deal is not met.
The Serie A chief recently paused negotiations with broadcasters after the league’s valuation was not met for broadcast rights for the 2024-25 season onwards and will not resume until 15 October.
The Italian top flight’s current €930m deal with DAZN and Sky is set to expire at the end of the 2023-24 season. De Siervo has been angling to maximise the league’s broadcast rights value after several other European league’s garnered more money for their respective TV rights.
Spain’s La Liga agreed a five year deal with Movistar and DAZN in December 2021 for a reported €990m per season. Moreover, the Premier League in England stands far and away the most valuable to broadcasters, with its current deal worth a reported £1.63bn per year
Much like Serie A, the Premier League is looking to maximise its broadcast deal by the time it ends in 2025, with the English top flight offering 60 additional games to broadcasters in a bid to increase the money it can receive for its TV rights.
In order to compete with the Premier League and some of Europe’s other top leagues, De Siervo was initially planning to split the broadcast deals into eight different tender schemes for broadcasters to purchase.
This was an attempt to maximise the amount of money Serie A could acquire from a flurry of interested suitors, with valuations ranging from €3.6bn across three years, and €7.2bn over five years.
Now, De Siervo’s intentions are seemingly focused on a Serie A-dedicated streaming service to broadcast live fixtures if broadcasters are unwilling to match the €1bn-a-year valuation.
He commented: “We have the structure to offer (matches) directly to viewers…we are considering this option. We won’t back offers deemed as too low.”
