Italian television ready to end soccer coverage
By Simon Evans
MILAN, Aug 19 (Reuters) - The head of Italian state television company RAI says he is ready to end 40 years of coverage of domestic soccer unless the asking price for a highlights package is halved.
Should the threat be carried out, already struggling Italian clubs would see revenues fall further while the majority of fans would miss out on the country's most popular highlights show.
'RAI is not prepared to bleed itself dry to save football clubs that are suffocating in debt,' RAI director general Agostino Sacca told the daily Corriere della Sera on Monday.
The warning comes as Italy's Football League is due to meet on Tuesday to decide whether to delay the start of the new Serie A season, due to begin on September 1, as eight clubs are still without pay-per-view television deals.
The Italian Football League are demanding RAI pay 88.8 million euros for the highlights package of Serie A and B goals and live coverage of Italian Cup matches -- the same fee that was paid last season.
But RAI say they are no longer interested in the low-key Italian Cup and will pay no more than 45 million euros for the goal highlights used on the country's most popular and longstanding soccer show '90th minute'.
The long established show has a reported average viewing audience of 6.5 million making it by far the most popular sports show on Italian television.
But Sacca said the company are not willing to shift from their original offer adding that even their bid was a loss-making enterprise.
'It is enough to make a comparison with the Americas Cup yacht race -- it costs three million euro and we take five million in advertising. Football highlights does not bring in 45 million euros,' Sacca said.
STALEMATE
The stalemate over free-to-air highlights is mirrored by a similar failure to reach a deal over pay-per-view rights.
Atalanta, Brescia, Chievo, Como, Empoli, Modena, Perugia and Piacenza have all been unable to reach agreement with either of Italy's two subscription satellite channels Telepiu and Stream.
The clubs are each demanding 10 million euros for the rights to live coverage of their home games this season while the two companies have offered only 4.5 million euros.
In Italy clubs sign individual deals with television companies in contrast to many other countries, such as England, where a collective deal is signed for the rights to a championship.
Italy's national team games, traditionally broadcast by RAI, could also come under threat as Sacca says the costs for away matches have become too high.
'The next two games will be on air but not Wales v Italy,' said Sacca who said the rights to that European Championship qualifying match will cost 2.6 million euros.
Britain's Channel Four recently ended its decade long coverage of Serie A after it was unable to reach agreement over the rights fee.
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oh great, more trouble!
By Simon Evans
MILAN, Aug 19 (Reuters) - The head of Italian state television company RAI says he is ready to end 40 years of coverage of domestic soccer unless the asking price for a highlights package is halved.
Should the threat be carried out, already struggling Italian clubs would see revenues fall further while the majority of fans would miss out on the country's most popular highlights show.
'RAI is not prepared to bleed itself dry to save football clubs that are suffocating in debt,' RAI director general Agostino Sacca told the daily Corriere della Sera on Monday.
The warning comes as Italy's Football League is due to meet on Tuesday to decide whether to delay the start of the new Serie A season, due to begin on September 1, as eight clubs are still without pay-per-view television deals.
The Italian Football League are demanding RAI pay 88.8 million euros for the highlights package of Serie A and B goals and live coverage of Italian Cup matches -- the same fee that was paid last season.
But RAI say they are no longer interested in the low-key Italian Cup and will pay no more than 45 million euros for the goal highlights used on the country's most popular and longstanding soccer show '90th minute'.
The long established show has a reported average viewing audience of 6.5 million making it by far the most popular sports show on Italian television.
But Sacca said the company are not willing to shift from their original offer adding that even their bid was a loss-making enterprise.
'It is enough to make a comparison with the Americas Cup yacht race -- it costs three million euro and we take five million in advertising. Football highlights does not bring in 45 million euros,' Sacca said.
STALEMATE
The stalemate over free-to-air highlights is mirrored by a similar failure to reach a deal over pay-per-view rights.
Atalanta, Brescia, Chievo, Como, Empoli, Modena, Perugia and Piacenza have all been unable to reach agreement with either of Italy's two subscription satellite channels Telepiu and Stream.
The clubs are each demanding 10 million euros for the rights to live coverage of their home games this season while the two companies have offered only 4.5 million euros.
In Italy clubs sign individual deals with television companies in contrast to many other countries, such as England, where a collective deal is signed for the rights to a championship.
Italy's national team games, traditionally broadcast by RAI, could also come under threat as Sacca says the costs for away matches have become too high.
'The next two games will be on air but not Wales v Italy,' said Sacca who said the rights to that European Championship qualifying match will cost 2.6 million euros.
Britain's Channel Four recently ended its decade long coverage of Serie A after it was unable to reach agreement over the rights fee.
-----------------------------------------
oh great, more trouble!
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