Sources: Amazon Planning To Bid For Italy's Serie A TV Rights

Amazon has been expanding the lineup of European soccer matches it offers to its Prime subscribersGETTY IMAGES

Amazon is planning to "bid for Italy's Serie A TV rights, putting it in competition with Comcast Corp.'s Sky" to broadcast one of the world's biggest soccer leagues, according to sources cited by Daniele Lepido of BLOOMBERG NEWS. Sources said that the e-commerce company plans to bid for "streaming rights that would be used by its Prime Video unit." Sources added that the league set a Jan. 26 deadline to "sell rights to the next three seasons, seeking at least" $1.4B a year. Lepido notes Amazon has been "expanding the lineup of European soccer matches it offers" to its Prime subscribers, including select EPL matches. Meanwhile, Serie A "has been seeking new sources of revenue." CVC Capital Partners and Advent Int'l last year agreed to "acquire a stake in a new media unit that's being created by the soccer league" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 1/14).