No more free-to-air European football for the next three years. Sky Italy is serious: starting from next season and until 2027, in fact, all Champions League, Europa League and Conference League matches will be broadcast exclusively on Sky platforms e Now. Therefore, stop the matches shared with other broadcasters and stop the weekly matches shared with TV8.
Sky Italia's strategy is clear: maximize revenues and retain subscribers. Until the season just ended, Mediaset had the right to broadcast a free-to-air Champions League match every week on Canale 5. Now, with the acquisition of exclusive rights, Sky aims to retain all its premium content within its platforms , increasing the perceived value of your service.
A new shame on the fans that after having undergone the yet another price increase by Dazn as regards the Serie A championship, they now also find themselves saying goodbye to free-to-air European matches.
Sky exclusive: no Antitrust block
Sky has acquired exclusive rights for European competitions from 2024 to 2027, which was not possible in the previous three years due to a block imposed by the Italian Antitrust, relating to the acquisition of web exclusives. This block was linked to an unrealized attempt to acquire Mediaset Premium's R2 technology platform.
Without the Antitrust ban, Sky has invested decisively in European cups, spending, according to rumours, around 660 million euro for the television rights to the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League for the three-year period 2024-2027.
Free-to-air only semi-finals and finals
Despite Sky's exclusivity, Amazon Prime Video will continue to broadcast the best Champions League match on Wednesday. Mediaset, however, leaves the scene after its three seasons with a weekly free-to-air match on Canale 5,
Anyone who wants to watch European competitions without signing up for a paid subscription will have to settle for the semi-finals and finals, which by law must be transmitted unencrypted. This still guarantees the possibility of seeing the most important challenges of the season, albeit with a very limited offer compared to the past.
The new Champions League formula
Will eight Italian teams to compete in European competitions in the 2024/25 season. In Champions League, there will be Inter, Milan, Juventus, Atalanta and Bologna. In Europa League, Roma and Lazio will be involved, while Fiorentina will represent Italy in Conference League. However, the structure of the tournaments will change.
The 2024/25 season will introduce, for example, a Champions League renewed: the tournament will be longer, with a 47% increase in matches compared to previous editions and a single group with 36 teams. A format change which therefore represents an opportunity for Sky to offer even more exclusive content to its subscribers, strengthening its position in the sports rights market.
Sky will also maintain theexclusive for Italy also on the Premier League, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga. With anti-piracy measures becoming increasingly effective, it remains to be seen how many will be willing to pay to watch European football.
