TV rights: Lega Serie A and Mediapro on trial claiming damages and compensation

The Lega Serie A and the Spanish audiovisual group Mediapro are currently on trial before the Commercial Court of Milan regarding the broadcasting rights in Italy of the Serie A TIM for the 2018-2021 cycle, which had been awarded to Mediapro before the Italian League broke the contract due to a bank guarantee issue (see below).

The Lega Serie A is claiming €460m in damages while Mediapro is demanding a refund for the deposit paid (€64m) as well as compensation of €210m, according to Italian media on 02/12/2020.

The dispute, dating back to June 2018, had been temporarily set aside by the two parties, who have been holding discussions for over a year on the Serie A broadcasting rights for the post-2021 period.

The Lega Serie A general assembly has unanimously decided to approve the offer of the consortium comprised of CVC Capital Partners, a Luxembourg fund with a notable presence in rugby (see related news), the American fund Advent and the Italian public fund FSI (Fondo Strategico Italiano) to acquire a 10% stake in the future media company of the Italian League for an amount of…