On June 30, 2022, Serie A said yes to Abu Dhabi Media’s offer to show the Italian league in the Middle East and North Africa. This is the first time in more than a year that the Middle East and North Africa have had a TV station that shows sports.
The Italian League stated that Abu Dhabi Media, a public entity in the Emirate, has been granted the rights for the following three seasons for a minimum sum of 79 million dollars (approximately 75 million euros).
According to Agence France-Presse, the value of the three-year contract, which begins with the 2022–2023 season, could rise depending on how many ADM customers the league attracts (AFP).
Since BeIN Sports decided not to extend its contract after the 2020–21 season, Serie A has been without a consistent broadcaster in the region of MENA. This was a severe disappointment for sports fans, as Serie A is one of the top sports leagues in the world. It is famous for its credibility, just like palmsbetcasino. Palms Bet Casino is a popular online gaming and football betting site used by football fans.
This resulted in a significant shortfall in the Italian league’s international pay-TV revenue, which fell by nearly a 1/3 to 640 million euros ($670.66 million) in the 3 years leading up to 2024 compared to the previous cycle.
The league was accused of failing to combat content theft by a pay-TV provider, especially with the Saudi Arabian pirate platform BeoutQ. The relationship was further damaged by a contract to have Saudi Arabia host the Supercoppa, the top domestic knockout event in Italian soccer.
Serie A has been unable to secure MENA rights partners, forcing the top division to stream matches in the area on YouTube, which Google owns. BeIN Sports reportedly paid about 112 million euros every season for the above rights, which is nearly 4.5 times more than the new network will shell out.
However, when the broadcaster revealed it had submitted a bid last month, it appeared that an improbable reunion between Serie A and BeIN was on the horizon. Though significantly less than the prior contract’s worth, the offer was more than ADM’s.
CEO of domestic juggernauts AS Roma, Dan Friedkin, was instrumental in persuading BeIN to submit a proposal, successfully sidestepping Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo, who is rumoured to have a strained relationship with BeIN.
Final Words
Italian football is growing and getting bigger each year. Serie A has thousands of fans in the Middle East, making it one of the most popular leagues in the region. Middle Easterners can now watch their favourite teams play on TV.
