Eleven Sports secures UK rights to Serie A to go alongside their La Liga coverage
In the latest major media rights coup for a new-wave broadcaster in the UK, Eleven Sports – who secured the UK rights to La Liga in May – have obtained exclusive rights to show Serie A, too.
The three-year deal brings to an end six years of Italian league coverage on BT Sport.
Eleven, who have also announced their plans to show both top European divisions on a new live-streaming platform after partnering with IMG, though according to the BBC they are also in talks with “other distribution platforms”, meaning they could well sublicense their rights to other broadcasters and broadening their reach.
✍️ Fans in the UK and Ireland will be able to follow @Cristiano’s adventures with @juventusfc after ELEVEN SPORTS has today secured rights to @SerieA_TIM on a three-year agreement, starting with the upcoming 2018/19 season
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— Eleven Sports (@ElevenSportsHQ) July 13, 2018
Could a sublicensing deal with another live-streaming platform like Amazon, then, be on the cards?
In the last few months, more and more sport has found its way to the online retailer’s Prime platform, with UK sublicensing deals for three of the four tennis grand slams as well as NFL games going to the company in the US on a similar basis. Facebook, too, has been very active of late in acquiring live sport.
Today’s news comes just days after Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Juventus, making Serie A an even more attractive proposition, and it will also put the former Real Madrid man and Barcelona star Lionel Messi on the same platform again in the UK.
As the media rights landscape undergoes a major shake-up with the emergence of several new players in the market offering internet-first live-streaming platforms this is a big move to bring two of the leading football leagues into the same home. It also means Eleven Sports, owned by Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani, is now undoubtedly a major draw for UK fans of European football as well as sponsors and advertisers looking ahead to next season.
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