Source: infrontsports.it
Milan, Italy, 20 May 2014 – Lega Serie A and its strategic media rights advisor Infront Sports & Media announced yesterday the tender process details for the Serie A media rights on Italian territory, following the Assembly’s unanimous approval on 16 May.
The tender, which expires on 5 June at 12.00pm, was published yesterday on the website of the Lega Serie A and covers 380 matches in each of the 2015/16, 2016/17, and 2017/18 Serie A seasons.
In summary, Infront has proposed four innovations in order to enhance competition and the possibility of access by new market players:
• An offering that not only includes exploitation rights through digital terrestrial or satellite platforms, but also primary rights for exploitation through online and other audio-visual platforms. This allows licensees to offer Serie A content through other channels;
• An offering structured “by matches”, covering a certain number of fixtures, but overall not more than 35 per cent of the championship;
• A dedicated offering for direct exploitation, containing live broadcast rights, reserved for licensees offering OTT (“over-the-top”) content via Internet, IPTV and mobile phones;
• An ancillary rights offering, designed to enrich editorial content and allow for differentiation of the core packages (e.g. exclusive feeds, priority in the pre- and post-match interviews, etc.).
The following exclusive domestic tender packages are available to media companies in Italy:
• Packages A and B include home and away matches of 8 selected teams (248 of 380 total matches) for transmission via satellite and digital terrestrial platforms respectively (plus related exploitation rights via Internet, IPTV and mobile phones);
• Package C is an upgrade of package A or B and includes ancillary rights related to live broadcast (e.g. different isolated feeds, (unilateral) camera positions, etc.);
• Package D includes 132 matches which are not included in packages A and B and are complemented by ancillary rights as indicated in package C (for exploitation through all platforms);
• Package E provides 3 matches for each match day, for a season total of 114 matches. These rights might only be offered as OTT content via Internet, IPTV and / or mobile platforms.
Marco Bogarelli, President of Infront Italy, said: “The innovations introduced for the 2015 to 2018 period ensures a system that stimulates competition, guarantees market players to further segment their offer and provides the final consumer with multiple ways to access the football product. This means that the new tools meet consumer demands, allowing fans to get closer to football in a new and more modern way. The ultimate goal is to maximise resources for the league, expanding the number of viewers and ultimately Lega Serie A fans.”
Maurizio Beretta, President of the Lega Serie A, stated: “We are very pleased with the result. On Friday, clubs unanimously gave the green light to the presentation of the packages, expressing satisfaction and approval for the work done. This is a significant arrival point, but is only the first step in the selling process. We are happy to have made a good and confident start for future engagements. We will bring to market new technologies to spread football more and more globally, with a particular attention to new generations.”
In the second phase, the market tender will be completed with international rights tenders and for other exclusive packages and agreements with non-exclusive rights for the Italian territory. These packages, which will not contain audio-visual rights for live broadcast (except radio and betting), will be of interest to operators who have not considered contributing to the acquisition of rights in today’s tender. The rights for the marketing of the Italian Cup, the Lega Super Cup and Italian Spring Championships are scheduled for a later stage.
The Lega Serie A invites bidders to submit their offers in writing by 5 June 2014 (12.00pm). The full tender information is available on the website of Lega Serie A (www.legaseriea.it).
About Infront Sports & Media
Infront Sports & Media is the most respected sports marketing company in the world, managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events – including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production and event operation – and has won a reputation for its high standards of delivery. As the number one player in winter sport and with a leading role in football and summer sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with 130 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of 500 experienced staff working from 20 offices across 10 countries, delivering 3,400 event days of top class sport around the world every year. Infront Italy is the Italian subsidiary of Infront Sports & Media.
