Italy: Mola scores Brasileirão rights; MMA investment
March 7, 2023
Mola has added content from Brasileirão, the Brazilian football league, to its roster of sports content in Italy. Mola will broadcast more than 300 games from the Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, Recopa Sudamericana and will also be adding in weekly games from Argentina’s Primera Division this year.
Mola is also the home of fight sports in Italy showcasing some of the world’s biggest boxing events around the globe through Boxxer, Top Rank and Frank Warren Boxing. In the world of MMA, Mola has Italian language coverage of leading MMA promotions Cage Warriors and Bellator, they will also be co promoting three live Cage Warrior events in Europe and releasing the new series MMA Fight Academy.
Funded by Mola, MMA Fight Academy sees Italian prospects Edoardo Caiazza, Francesco Mazzeo, Khadim Dia and Luca Borando as four of 20 fighters, who travel to San Diego, California for the chance to win a Cage Warriors contract and a cut of a $250,000 prize pot with an additional $200,000 win bonus also up for grabs. MMA Fight Academy will see the fighters train under the tutelage of head coach Marc Fiore, who helped guide Matt Hughes and Robbie Lawler to UFC championship glory.
Upcoming March highlights on Mola include Bellator 292 on March 11th headlined by the undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov, cousin of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, who defends his Lightweight Championship against UFC veteran and mixed martial arts great Benson Henderson. Cage Warriors 150 will also feature on March 17th with Turin’s Davide Scarano featuring on the main card in a flyweight bout against hometown favourite Lone’er Kavanagh.
As part of 1,000 live events broadcast this year on the platform, will be a total of 314 exclusive fixtures from South America’s biggest football competitions alone and European league football from the Eredivisie, the Greek Super League and the Greek Cup. Mola is also the only place in Italy to watch Gallagher Premiership Rugby and Nascar. All live broadcasts are available with Italian commentary.
Mirwan Suwarso, CEO said: “South American club football popularity is growing in Italy which is why we have invested in the most complete package of football in the region; with coverage of the gripping action from the Brazilian and Argentine leagues and the three CONMEBOL cup competitions. Our acquisition of the Brasileirão only reinforces our position as the home of South American football in Italy with a raft of amazing new content and rights. Brazil is a hotbed for some of the world’s most exciting young players and Mola will now be able to shine a light on the next generation of talent breaking through.’’
Commenting on the investment in fight sports, Suwarso added: “We have seen the passion in the Italian community for MMA especially from a younger audience, but at the moment there is only one Italian fighter in the UFC – Marvin Vettori ‘The Italian Dream’. We don’t believe this is right, Italy is home of the original gladiators, which is why we have taken four Italian fighters with huge potential over to the USA to train with the very best as part of The Fight Academy. This is a brand-new route to the UFC, with paid training and sponsorship deals lined up. We are also cross-promoting three Cage Warriors events in Europe this year after the brilliant event last year where every Italian fighter won their fight, and the event was a sell-out.’’
Commenting on Mola’s business objectives, Suwarso continued: “Our business has been built on not only providing the best entertainment packages for consumers but also investing back into the communities in which we operate. This is no different in Italy. We are doing this in Como where we have not only taken the team from Serie D to Serie B with ambition to get back into Serie A but also invested in local community projects and a unique program to grow business in the region.’’
In addition to the live sporting action, Mola subscribers will be able to access a back catalogue of sports documentaries, notably all four seasons of Garuda Select, following budding Indonesian footballers’ chasing their dream of a professional career in Europe, with English football legends Dennis Wise and Des Walker working hard to develop their skill and potential, and Quagliarella – The Untold Truth, exploring the story and life of Serie A legend Fabio Quagliarella as he dealt with threats and extortion by a stalker throughout his career.
The platform will also include Mola original interviews and the Que Mola podcast, bringing the world of South American football to listeners with interviews and in-depth analysis available both on Mola and Spotify, and Apple Podcast. Chromecast and mirroring compatible, Mola will be available on iOS and Android, Samsung TV, Apple TV and Android TV with more platforms and partners in development.