Here’s how Sky and Dazn take a ball on TV rights for Serie A
What is happening between Sky and Dazn on TV rights for Serie A football
Black smoke for Serie A rights 2021-24. The Lega Calcio assembly voted for the assignment of audiovisual licenses but the quorum of 14 votes in favor of an offer was not reached. The votes in favor of the offer presented by Dazn were 11, while 9 abstentions arrived, according to what is learned, from Benevento, Bologna, Crotone, Genoa.
According to what participants in the assembly report, among the nine abstentions – reads a Radiocor launch – there would be positions that are not opposed to the proposal arrived by Dazn, but intend to ask for further information before reaching the vote. It is possible that a new meeting can be held within 7-10 days.
Therefore, the dispute between Sky and Dazn does not subside. Here are all the details.
For Sky, rivals Tim and Dazn would even violate the Melandri law. The complaint, signed by the CEO of Sky Italia, Maximo Ibarra , started from the Rogoredo headquarters in Milan last night, taking advantage of the last few minutes available before today's summit (virtual, due to some positive components at Covid).
THE TWO OFFERS IN THE FIELD
On the table, the assembly found two offers for Serie A rights: the 750 million euro one of Sky for all the matches, with another part of the proceeds from the creation of an Ott channel of the League (which perhaps, according to rumors , the 110 million euros of Eleven Sports would be added) and that of 840 million of the Dazn-Tim axis (to which to add another 70 million offered by Sky for 3 of the 10 games in cohabitation with Dazn). If the rumors are true, the first package would amount to 860 million against the 910 of the Dazn-Tim tandem. But for Sky the most remunerative package for Serie A, that of rivals, in the medium term would end up economically damaging Serie A itself and, not a secondary accusation, could even hit the fans. In the communications that the Italian branch of the giant founded by Rupert Murdoch forwarded to the president of Lega Serie A Paolo Dal Pino , to Luigi De Siervo and to the club presidents, the accusations are substantiated.
WHAT SKY SAYS ABOUT THE AXIS BETWEEN TIM AND DAZN
Sky, with regard to the "strategic" agreement between Dazn and Tim, defined by Ibarra as "its direct competitor" which should contribute 340 million annually, in fact comes to reconsider "potential competitive problems and compatibility with the Melandri law".
To be precise, according to the media giant, "Tim would benefit from preferential treatment in the distribution of Dazn, even though Tim is the incumbent operator with the greatest market strength in Italy, particularly in the broadband segment". A letter, that of Sky Italia, formally addressed to Serie A but which includes in germ possible complaints to be addressed to the competent authorities. This is meant above all when Sky points out that from all this the only real, damaged ones would be the users: "Serie A will not be distributed on all platforms and / or devices, fans will have less choice". The wheel turns for everyone and Sky, recently hit by the Agcm measures , seems to allude to the possibility of using it, this time as an injured party.
But Ibarra also tickles Paolo Dal Pino , the CEO Luigi De Siervo and the club presidents, fearing scenarios in which "the audience will suffer with important repercussions on advertising and sponsorship, with an overall loss of value of the Serie A product".
THE REPLICA OF DAZN
For its part, Dazn has made it known that "the possible acquisition of the TV rights of Serie A for the next three seasons by Dazn would represent an important opportunity for the opening of the pay TV market and would also be the an opportunity to decisively accelerate the digitization and modernization process of the country ».
As for Sky's second accusation, namely that the Dazn contents would end up exclusive to Tim Vision limiting the audience, it is replied that "they would continue to be enjoyed, as is already the case today, through the broadband services of all telephone operators and available devices. ".
Finally, Dazn also replies on the most important point, because if there was a real penalty of users, the guarantors could really decide to move: "Lastly, there is a particular concern expressed about a penalization of the fans who, it is said, they would no longer have guaranteed a plurality of vision, considering that the football market is historically characterized by a dominant subject as also emerged from the recent decisions of AGCM ». The final thrust is poisonous. The match has begun, but more than football it looks like a kickboxing challenge.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/economia/ecco-come-sky-e-dazn-si-prendono-a-pallonate-su-diritti-tv-per-la-serie-a/ on Fri, 26 Feb 2021 09:31:26 +0000.