Italian Pay Service Lands Majority Of ’06 World Cup Games
News Corp.’s satellite service Sky Italia has obtained the Italian rights for
the ’06 FIFA World Cup for US$51M, meaning “for the first time, Italian viewers
will have to pay to watch” World Cup matches, according to Cecilia Zecchinelli
of DAILY VARIETY. State-owned network RAI, which has broadcast World Cup matches
over-the-air since the ‘50s, retains the rights to Italy’s matches, the semifinals
and finals, “but for no more than 25 matches in all.” Italian Minister for Communications
Mario Landolfi in a letter to RAI GM Flavio Cattaneo asked him “to ‘clarify’ why
the [network] didn’t use its option to acquire the 2006 rights.” Zecchinelli writes
the deal is Sky Italia’s “revenge against” Mediaset and La7, “which have launched
digital terrestrial TV [DTT] services offering” Italian Serie A matches. Sky Italia
has the satellite rights to the same matches and “suffered when the DTT services
bowed” (DAILY
VARIETY, 5/17). AFP reports journalists at RAI will go on strike June
4 in protest over Sky Italia landing the World Cup rights. Italy plays Norway
in a World Cup qualifier on that date (AFP, 5/17).
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