MILAN, Italy (AP) - Mediaset SpA has started legal action against the Italian soccer league to reduce its television rights for the Serie A, claiming a loss of prestige due to the match-fixing scandal last year.
Mediaset said in a statement Wednesday that it is going to court after failing to reach an agreement with the league to re-negotiate the TV rights contract, which was signed before the scandal broke in May.
"Based on official parameters, it's possible to demonstrate that the demotions and penalties imposed by sport authorities have caused a strong loss of interest in the Serie A championship, which means a correspondent reduction of the TV rights' market value," Mediaset said in the statement.
It also claimed that the value of the rights had fallen 14.8 per cent since the scandal.
Mediaset, Italy's largest private broadcaster owned by former premier Silvio Berlusconi, bought rights for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons with Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio, AS Roma and Torino.
Associated Press
Mediaset said in a statement Wednesday that it is going to court after failing to reach an agreement with the league to re-negotiate the TV rights contract, which was signed before the scandal broke in May.
"Based on official parameters, it's possible to demonstrate that the demotions and penalties imposed by sport authorities have caused a strong loss of interest in the Serie A championship, which means a correspondent reduction of the TV rights' market value," Mediaset said in the statement.
It also claimed that the value of the rights had fallen 14.8 per cent since the scandal.
Mediaset, Italy's largest private broadcaster owned by former premier Silvio Berlusconi, bought rights for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons with Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio, AS Roma and Torino.
Associated Press
