ESPN has struck a broadcast rights deal with Serie A that will bring 300 matches of Italy’s top soccer league to the U.S. on its new subscription OTT service, ESPN+. Global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo recently joined defending champion Juventus, generating increased interest in Serie A. His debut match on Aug. 18 against ChievoVerona will also be the first league broadcast on ESPN+. Linear networks ESPN and ESPN2 will also carry one match each week for a total of about 40 throughout the Serie A season.
Asked how important Ronaldo’s addition was to the network’s pursuit of these rights, Scott Guglielmino, ESPN’s SVP of programming, replied, “Serie A is one of the most storied football leagues in the world and is home to some of the most successful clubs in history—AC Milan, Inter Milan, AS Roma, and Juventus. Having one of the best footballers to ever play the game join Serie A at this time is the cherry on top.”
Two of those signature clubs—A.C. Milan and A.S. Roma—both have American ownership. Elliott Management Corporation, a U.S. hedge fund, recently acquired Milan. A group of businessmen led by billionaire and club chairman James Pallotta took over Roma in 2011.
“The addition of Italy’s Serie A TIM underscores our ambitious goal of making ESPN+ home to the world’s best soccer leagues—and an indispensable destination for fans of the sport in the United States,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN’s EVP of programming and scheduling, in a news release. “With Ronaldo’s arrival to Serie A TIM, we anticipate even more interest and exposure for this property in the seasons ahead.” (The league’s formal name is Serie A TIM because of a sponsorship agreement.)
“We are extremely satisfied with the agreement, which testifies the growing importance and the international recognition of our league,” added Serie A president Gaetano Miccichè in a statement. “This agreement, together with those recently concluded, shows the value of both Serie A TIM and its champions, which will be appreciated by more than 90 million soccer fans and enthusiasts in the U.S. in the next years.”
SportTechie Takeaway
Broadcast deals of this scope aren’t negotiated overnight, so surely the negotiations were well underway before Ronaldo’s transfer to Juventus last month. As Guglielmino said, the transaction was the “cherry on top” that will drive additional viewership from fans interested in the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. (The Ballon d’Or is awarded to the international player of the year.) There undoubtedly will be viewers willing to pay the $4.99 monthly ESPN+ subscription fee just to catch a few of Ronaldo’s Serie A matches, making this a valuable addition for the fledgling streaming service.