Streamer in talks to split its exclusive domestic rights to the Italian top flight with pay-TV rival
Global sports live streaming platform DAZN has entered negotiations with rival Sky to share its exclusive Serie A TV rights in Italy. DAZN won the Italian broadcast rights to Serie A last summer, in a deal reportedly worth around €2.5bn.
Executives at DAZN are now looking to create a distribution partnership with Sky Italia, in a move which would mark the return of the Italian top flight to linear television in the country.
For the 2021/22 season, Serie A was available exclusively online on DAZN in all of Italy, which may have affected some fans' ability to watch games, especially those with limited internet access or those less than technologically literate.
No deal has been agreed between the two broadcasters as of yet but speculation mounts that an agreement could be in place by as early as next week.
A distribution deal between DAZN and Sky would also bring Serie A back to Sky television, which was its home before DAZN shocked the world when it won the rights auction last year, becoming the first streamer to own domestic TV rights to a top football league.
Under this new working agreement, fans could have access to Serie A matches in Italy on traditional TV with Sky and online with DAZN. It is currently unknown what number of matches may feature on each platform as part of this new distribution deal.
This news comes in the wake of Serie A's deal with Starzplay to bring Italian top flight matches to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region via live streaming.
It is also the latest in a series of stories involving DAZN, during a busy summer for broadcasters as they try to get hold of as many football rights as possible heading into the new season. For instance, it emerged several weeks ago that DAZN may be looking to purchase Eleven Sports and their hefty portfolio of sports TV rights.
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