Serie A suffers TV crisis
The Italian league authorities will decide tomorrow whether to postpone the start of the Serie A season due to the lack of a television agreement between the clubs and broadcasters.
Italian state broadcaster RAI has offered €44.9m for the right to broadcast highlights next season, according to Italian national newspaper Corriere della Sera.
It is highly unlikely that the clubs will accept the offer in tomorrow’s meeting as it is substantially less than the €87.5m paid out last season in a deal which also included the Coppa Italia.
However, RAI – in a bid to reduce the costs – appear unwilling to go any higher despite the troubled financial state of some of Serie A’s members.
“RAI are not prepared to bleed to salvage some clubs that have debts,” said RAI general director Agostino Sacca.
Eight Serie A clubs have yet to even come close to a deal with subscription channels Tele Piu and Stream, who show the league matches live.
With each club able to negotiate their own contract, the bigger teams like Juventus – who have agreed a €53.9m contract with Tele Piu – have already completed their deals.
However, the same station has offered just €5m each to Atalanta, Brescia, Perugia, Chievo, Como, Empoli, Modena and Piacenza, who do not have the same nationwide appeal.
