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Italy’s Serie A season wraps up on May 26, and it’ll also mark the end of the three-year US media rights deal with CBS Sports and Paramount+. Normally that wouldn’t be an issue because leagues often announce the renewal of rights or a new broadcaster several months before a new season begins. However, sources have told World Soccer Talk that Serie A hasn’t agreed to a new US rights deal for the 2024/25 season which is only 101 days away. The future of Serie A on US TV is up in the air.
The delays have caused consternation among fans of Serie A clubs who are worried about the league’s future on US television and streaming. At the same time, sources close to the broadcast discussions have expressed frustration at the slow process of reaching a decision.
In a league featuring American stars such as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, and Timothy Weah, the thought of being unable to watch them on US TV or streaming next season is hard to imagine. But unless a decision can be reached soon, soccer fans in the United States continue to sit in a holding pattern.
Serie A talks with CBS Sports hit an impasse
The discussions between Serie A and CBS Sports are quite a saga. In September 2023, Executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS Sports Digital Jeff Gerttula told World Soccer Talk, “We’re having conversations [about renewing the Serie A deal]. We’ve got a lot of momentum with that property.”
But everything changed in October when Serie A’s domestic rights deal with DAZN and Sky failed to get the increase in rights fees that the clubs wanted. The deal agreed was a five-year deal worth 4.5 billion euros (approximately $4.91 billion). That’s about half of what the Premier League will earn from its most recent domestic broadcast contract, which runs just four seasons
That disappointing figure put more pressure on Serie A to generate greater revenue overseas. As the top media market in the world, Serie A knew…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/future-of-serie-a-us-tv/
Author : Christopher Harris
Publish date : 2024-05-08 15:26:44
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