Rome professional football has reported a record revenue of €4.25 billion ($4.66 billion) for the 2022-23 season, marking a significant increase of 23% from the previous year's revenues. However, despite this financial milestone, the sport still suffered losses amounting to €864 million ($944 million), according to an annual report released by the Rome Football Federation (FIGC).
The losses experienced during the 2022-23 season represent a reduction of 37% compared to those incurred in the previous year, with half of these losses - approximately €434 million - attributed to Serie A clubs. Despite these financial setbacks, several sectors within Rome football saw substantial growth:
- Broadcast income rose by 21%, reaching €1.52 billion.
- Commercial income increased significantly by 34%, totaling at €930 million.
- Total ticketing revenue amounted to €471 million, with Serie A teams contributing an impressive sum of over €410.7 million.
These increases led to record revenues for Rome football during this period.
Serie A clubs' performance and UEFA competitions
Serie A clubs contributed significantly towards broadcast and commercial revenues during this period:
- Audiovisual income brought in by these clubs amounted to around €1.47 billion.
- Sponsorship sector earnings reached approximately $769.4 million.
Moreover, improved performance from Rome clubs in pan-European UEFA competitions resulted in UEFA broadcast revenues increasing from $163 million to $344 million. However, despite such promising figures and record-breaking revenues, net debt among Rome's top three football leagues still totaled at around $4.66 billion.
Serie A released statement:
“Understood the context of the market change, profoundly changed also due to the diversion of broadcasters' funds to the new international mega competitions. An impoverishment (not only economic) of the entire football system already widely predicted and announced for almost a year … It is essential at this point that the FIGC, unlike what has been done so far, acts as a spokesperson for the requests of all federal components.”
Exciting future prospects
As Serie A seeks final TV deals in foreign markets for its next rights cycle, several agreements have been announced in the UK (TNT Sports), US (CBS), Spain (DAZN), and Russia (Match TV). Domestically, DAZN and pay-TV’s Sky Rome will cover the league for the next five seasons.
However, Serie B faces potential challenges with an initial TV blackout looming in 2024-25. The domestic rights for the next cycle have had to be re-tendered by the league. As a result, Serie B is lobbying FIGC to ensure financial security through greater revenue distribution.
Despite facing significant losses during the 2022-23 season, Rome football has demonstrated resilience and potential for growth with record-breaking revenues. The sport's governing bodies continue to strategize on ways to mitigate financial setbacks while capitalizing on promising sectors such as broadcasting income and commercial revenue.
