Italian top-flight soccer competition Serie A has announced a new partnership with the Italian arm of French telecommunications firm Iliad, which becomes the league’s official innovation and technology partner.
As a part of this, Iliad will become the presenting partner of the league’s goal-line technology and video assistant referee (VAR), and its branding will be present wherever and whenever the technologies are used.
Furthermore, the league’s technology center from which VAR and goal-line technology are operated, as well as audio, visual, and data services from across Serie A’s competitions, will be renamed the Iliad International Broadcast Center.
In addition, Iliad will also be the presenting partner of the league’s Goal of the Month award, now the Goal of the Month presented by Iliad.
Speaking on the deal, Serie A chief executive Luigi De Servio stated: “To foster the evolution of the football product and provide referees with advanced tools that increasingly help them in their difficult task, we must continue to invest constantly in innovation and intelligent technological solutions.
“For this reason, we have chosen Iliad as the ideal partner to develop our production center in Lissone, making the most of its potential, confirming ourselves as pioneers in the introduction of the most advanced technologies to support the Serie A product."
Iliad Italia chief executive Benedetto Levi added that it undertook the deal in order to widen its reach among the Italian populace.
Serie A organizes not just the top-flight of Italian soccer, but also its annual Coppa Italia knockout cup competition, and season-opening Super Cup.
The innovation center manages audiovisual distribution for these competitions both domestically and across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.
Already underway, the 2024-25 Serie A campaign will run through May 25. Currently, Napoli head up the 20-team table.