Sky, Mediapro, DAZN, Discovery compete for Serie A
January 29, 2021
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
Sky Italia, Mediapro, DAZN and Discovery (Eurosport) submitted bids during the first round of the auction to award the 2021/2024 Italian TV rights for the Serie A, according to local reports.
Since the minimum price of €1.15 billion was not reached, private negotiations will now start with the broadcasters.
The highest bid was submitted by DAZN, in an attempt to oust Sky Italia as the main player in Italy, although Sky Italia will still have the possibility to outbid DAZN during the negotiations.
Infront expressed interest for the dedicated Lega Calcio channel, while offers on the thematic channel came also from Sky, DAZN and Discovery, but they will be opened if the negotiations are successful.
The final bids will be opened on February 8th.
Meanwhile, Sky Italia, in line with its restructuring strategy, will introduce major changes to its pricing policy from February 5th, reports Milano Finanza.
From that date, two subscription profiles will be available – one flexible and without constraints and the second discounted with a minimum duration of 18 months. In both cases, the price of the basic package (Sky TV) will be lowered, costing €25/month in the first case and €14.90/month in the second. Included in the price are HD and documentary channels, as well as the Sky Go Plus service.