Belgium's Divock Origi salutes fans as he arrives to undergo his medical examinations ahead of moving to AC Milan on a free transfer from Liverpool, in Milan, Italy, on June 28, 2022.The Canadian Press
Serie A is hailing a change to Italian law that abolishes a three-year limit on contracts for foreign TV rights.
The change should also eliminate long delays in formulating contracts.
“The new rules will help increase revenue, with bigger returns that will have a favourable impact on the entire soccer system,” Serie A president Lorenzo Casini said on Thursday.
Most of Serie A’s foreign rights are managed by the Swiss-based marketing firm Infront in a three-year deal that expires after the 2023-24 season.
Rights in the United States for the same period were sold directly to CBS for about €64-million euros (US$67-million) per year for the next three seasons. That deal pales in comparison to the English Premier League’s U.S. deal with NBC that averages US$450-million per season for six years.
Serie A has not been able to sell its Middle Eastern rights after Qatar-owned beIN Sports did not take part in the previous bidding process over concerns about the Italian league’s close relationship with Saudi Arabia. For now, games in the region are shown on Serie A’s YouTube channel.