"The agreement that Dazn would have signed with Tim, a direct competitor, for the TV rights of Serie A for the next three years is critical for the principle of competition".
Sky states this in a letter he has just sent to the Serie A League and to the clubs, which ANSA has read.
The email states, among other things, that "limiting access to football damages the value of Serie A".
"I learned from the press that Dazn would sign a strategic agreement with Tim, one of its direct competitors, in view of the tender for the acquisition of the broadcasting rights of the Serie A championship for the 2021-2024 cycle", it is the beginning of Sky's letter signed by Maximo Ibarra, to Italy.
"This commercial, financial and technological partnership - continues the CEO - would last for the entire cycle of rights and would provide for the payment of minimums guaranteed by Tim in favor of Dazn for an amount exceeding 40% of the value of the rights themselves. Tim's press release released on Tuesday shows that, thanks to the agreement signed with Dazn and the substantial guaranteed minimums put on the table, Tim would benefit from preferential treatment in the distribution of Dazn, despite being Tim the incumbent operator with greater market strength in Italy, particularly in the broadband segment. Such a preferential distribution agreement could therefore generate potential competitive problems and compatibility with the Melandri law ".
"In the interest of the millions of Italian fans - adds Sky - we are convinced that it is extremely important that Serie A be distributed on all platforms and on the widest possible number of devices, so that every fan can enjoy the show in the way that For example, Sky's Serie A is now broadcast on satellite, digital terrestrial and streaming, in various Sky and NowTV commercial offers, and is visible on both Sky and the main Telco set-top boxes, as well as on a wide range of connected devices, such as Smart TV ".
"If Serie A is not distributed on all platforms and / or devices - it is the conclusion - fans will have less choice, audiences will suffer with significant repercussions on advertising and sponsorships, with an overall loss of value of the Serie A product. I therefore invite you to verify that there are no restrictions of any kind to the distribution of Serie A on any platform or device, including those of Sky. I believe that this aspect deserves to be clarified to the League in advance with all the necessary detail and precision " (HANDLE).