Italy: Amazon could be interested in the 2018-2021 TV rights to the Serie A, awarding in July 2017

The US e-commerce group Amazon could be interested in the domestic TV rights to the Serie A TIM for the 2018-2021 period, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on 03/04/2017. The Lega Serie A has approved the rules for the awarding of the TV rights to the Serie A TIM for the 2018-2021 period on 29/03/2017. The League sent its guidelines to the AGCM (Italian competition authority) which has 60 days to validate the tender. The awarding of rights could be made as soon as July 2017.

Other interested groups outside the current rights co-holders (Mediaset and Sky Italia): the US audiovisual group Discovery Communications (via its Eurosport channels) and Telecom Italia (via TIMVision, its live and on demand TV platform). The interest of these companies also depends on the outcome of the legal dispute between Mediaset and the French audiovisual group Vivendi regarding the possible acquisition of Mediaset Premium by the latter.

The Lega Serie A and its media advisor Infront fear a decline in TV rights with the new domestic rights cycle (2018-2021), compared to the guaranteed…