Italian sports broadcaster Sky Italia has secured a number of major media rights deals, including an extension of its partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA). The agreement will allow Sky Sport to show 300 live NBA matches on a dedicated channel, along with magazine shows and social media content.
In addition to this, Sky will continue to manage the league's official local website. This follows a similar deal between Sky and the NBA in the UK.
Sky Italia has also acquired rights for several other sporting events. It will broadcast all 51 matches from next summer's UEFA European Championship, including 20 exclusive games. The remaining fixtures will be shared with public service broadcaster Rai. Italy is the defending champion after defeating England in the Euro 2020 final.
Furthermore, Sky Sport has extended its coverage of rugby union by securing broadcasting rights for the Six Nations tournament until 2025. This includes coverage of both the men's and women's senior tournaments as well as the U-20 championship. Additionally, they have secured broadcast rights for the pre-Rugby World Cup Summer Series starting next month and the Autumn Nations series in both 2024 and 2025.
All matches involving Italy's men’s team across these three competitions can be watched on Sky’s free-to-air (FTA) channel TV8.
Lastly, Italian fans can look forward to watching their country compete at the sailing event America’s Cup in Barcelona in 2024 as part of this new deal signed by Sky Italia.
Italy’s Luna Rossa syndicate is set to participate in Challenger Selection Series next year after losing out to Emirates Team New Zealand last time around during America’s Cup held earlier this year.
This latest round of acquisitions comes off the back of another significant deal made by Sky Italia - one that saw them secure broadcasting rights for both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
The flurry of activity coincides with ongoing discussions regarding domestic Serie A broadcasting rights, whose current holders are Sky and DAZN. Serie A is demanding up to €7.2 billion over the next five years for these rights, as their contracts with Sky and DAZN will end after the 2023-24 season.
The league has refused initial offers, indicating that if a satisfactory offer is not received, they may explore direct-to-consumer (DTC) options. There have even been rumours of a takeover bid by Serie A for Sky in recent months.
Sky Italia's continued expansion into sports broadcasting demonstrates their commitment to providing high-quality coverage of various sporting events to Italian viewers. With an impressive lineup that includes basketball, football, rugby union and sailing, fans can expect comprehensive coverage across multiple platforms from the broadcaster.
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