Serie A announced it will be "launching a new tender for TV rights to air live matches" for the '18-21 period after commercial broadcaster Mediaset "made no offer in the original tender, leaving Sky as the only major bidder," according to TELECOMPAPER. After Mediaset "refrained from presenting a bid" for any of the five packages by the June 10 deadline on grounds that the conditions were "totally unacceptable," Italian Football Federation (FIGC) President Carlo Tavecchio said that Serie A decided to cancel the tender because "the offers were not representative of the real value of Italian football rights." He said that the new tender "would now close in November or December." Separately, Telecom Italia (TIM) issued a statement "denying press reports that it had considered participating" in the tender in partnership with other groups (TELECOMPAPER, 6/12). BROADBAND TV NEWS' Robert Briel reported Sky Italia and the Perform Group "were the only bidders" -- Sky submitted bids for two of the five available packages, while the Perform Group bid for another two packages of live streaming rights. Mediaset said that its withdrawal from the tender "would not have any impact" on the '17-18 season, "for which it has already bought the rights" to transmit Serie A and Champions League matches (BROADBAND TV NEWS, 6/12).
