The upcoming auction for the Italian TV rights to Serie A football for the seasons 2018-2021 is likely to see the arrival of new bidders on top of local pay-TV operators and current rights holders Sky Italia and Mediaset Premium.

According to Reuters, Lega Serie A and Infront are trying to create more competition by specifically tailoring TV rights packages for prospective bidders such as Telecom Italia and Amazon. However, the bulk of the revenues are still expected to come from traditional pay-TV operators.

A Telecom Italia source said that the company was interested in online streaming rights for Serie A and Champions League rights, depending on the prices and packages available.

There could also be a separate Chinese TV rights package, as a result of the increased interest after Chinese investors took over the ownership of two leading Serie A teams (Inter Milan and AC Milan).

Additionally, Italian daily Il Sole 24 Ore reports that Telecom Italia could team up with Discovery for the upcoming football TV rights auctions, both for the Serie A as well as for the UEFA Champions League.

The Serie A TV rights auction will take place in the summer.

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