Serie A has played down rumours linking the league with Sky acquisition. Sources reported that Serie A was planning to acquire the Italian operations of Sky which could be limited to the sporting division or all of it, in order to launch a Serie A TV platform using the structure, organization, and customer base of Sky. This comes after Sky CEO Andrea Duilio presented a cost-cutting measure that saw the loss of 800 internal and contractor posts. Addressing the rumors, Casini admitted that there have been internal discussions about launching a separate TV Platform and that talks of an acquisition could enter the discussions at some stage. But Casini also admitted that there is nothing concrete to report at this time. Serie A CEO Luigi de Siervo has also said that before talks of an acquisition gather momentum, Serie A clubs would have to evaluate if it would make sense for them to partner with third-party financial parties. Talks of a potential financial partner have seen JP Morgan, Barclays, and Goldman Sachs enter the discussion and so there is still a long way to go before these rumours gather pace. It remains unknown if Comcast is looking to sell its Italian base, but one can take the hint from its underperforming German asset that was consequently sold due to its pale performance in comparison to the vastly successful and popular UK model. DAZN currently holds the key Serie A rights and thus is the main competition for Sky in Italy at this stage. The current rights deals for the Italian league expire next year and so we could expect developments on this front in the coming weeks to months. Head back to Sporticos for more Sports Stream News.
