Sky Italia, the pay-television broadcaster, has agreed a sub-licensing deal with internet giant Amazon to show European soccer’s top-tier Uefa Champions League on Wednesday nights for the next three seasons in commercial properties.
Amazon, which now has the first-pick Wednesday evening package of Champions League action for the 2021-22 to 2023-24 cycle, has agreed to let Sky carry its service in specific bars and restaurants with Sky subscriptions across Italy.
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It means Sky Business customers will have access to one Wednesday evening game each matchday on a new ‘Prime Video Sportsbar’ channel which will be available via the pay-TV operator on Champions League nights.
This is in addition to the 121 matches Sky already has rights to for the upcoming season.
Coverage on the Prime Video Sportsbar’ will begin with the Uefa Super Cup clash between last season’s Champions League winners Chelsea and Europa League champions Villarreal tomorrow (11 August).
Bars and restaurants with Sky subscriptions will also be able to show the secondary Europa League and new third-tier Europa Conference League for the next three seasons.
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By GlobalDataAmazon secured the top Champions League package and the Super Cup last year after it successfully bid around €80 million ($94.7 million) per annum.
The remaining packages were snapped up by Sky and commercial broadcaster Mediaset. Sky offered around €100 million for the bulk of the rights while Mediaset landed non-exclusive rights for the top matches on Tuesdays for around €50 million.
The new tie-up builds on an existing relationship between Sky and Amazon as the two parties entered into a reciprocal channel-sharing agreement last year.
Under a multi-year partnership, the Sky Q platform (accessible throughout the UK, Ireland, Italy and Germany) carries the Amazon Prime Video app, while Sky’s Now TV app is available through the Amazon Fire TV device.
Meanwhile, Kosmos, the sports and media investment group headed up by Barcelona star Gerard Pique, has acquired exclusive rights to Italy’s second-tier Serie B in 29 countries across Europe and Latin America for three seasons.
The agreement was struck with Helbiz Media, the new US-based OTT service which exclusively distributes Serie B’s international rights.
Kosmos has landed rights in territories including Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, the Balkans and Latin America.
The sports and media company has already agreed to sub-license the rights in those countries and has struck a deal with Nova Sport, the pay-TV digital satellite platform, to show Serie B in Bulgaria, Greece and Cyprus, while Sportklub will broadcast the league in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.
In Spain and Latin America, Serie B will be aired on the Footters digital platform.
The Latin American countries will be Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Guiana, Paraguay, Uruguay, Suriname, Venezuela, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Caribbean.
Helbiz has already secured multiple international rights deals for Serie B, including a deal most recently in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with streaming platform CLIQ Digital.
As well as its distribution deal, Helbiz Media also acquired streaming rights to Serie B in various countries, including the US and Canada from the 2021-22 seasons through to 2023-24.
Helbiz is selling Serie B rights in countries where it does not have a direct presence.
