DAZN Italy: "Investments in leagues cannot be sustained by a free-to-air model" (S.Azzi)

"Given the value historically attributed by the leagues themselves to the national championships, investments on this scale cannot be sustained by a free-to-air model: the professionals know that such amounts cannot be amortised by advertising alone, or even by distribution agreements, not least because the more you do, the more the value of the product decreases," said Stefano Azzi, CEO of DAZN Italy, on 19/11/2025.

Azzi spoke during a conference entitled "Should Major Competitions/Entertainment Be Free‑to‑Air" organised as part of the Social Football Summit 2025 at the Allianz Stadium in Turin (Italy).

"Why should football watched on television be free, when watching it at the stadium, with tickets and merchandise, costs money? Sports that are or have been broadcast free-to-air have a market value of €40 to €60m, not €900m. It is clear that such an economic balance would not be possible," continued Azzi.

DAZN currently pays €700m a year for the full domestic broadcasting rights to the Serie A Enilive over the 2024-2029 cycle. The pay-TV operator Sky Italia owns the rights to three…