For Media, the boutique rights agency led by Emanuele Villari, has negotiated a Coppa Italia broadcast rights deal in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) with Abu Dhabi Media (ADM).
The media agency was also recently awarded exclusive media rights to the Coppa Italia semi-finals and final in the MENA region, as well as various territories in Europe and Asia-Pacific, for the 2021-22 season.
With ADM’s exclusive coverage, Italy’s knockout club competition will return to MENA television for the first time in three years. ADM will broadcast matches with commentary in both Arabic and English.
Villari previously worked for B4 Capital, the agency that handled Coppa Italia’s international rights from 2012 to 2015 and 2015 to 2018.
For Media is selling Coppa Italia rights in Belgium, Finland, France, Iceland, Portugal, and Switzerland in Europe. These countries join the previously awarded Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana rights in Poland for the 2021-24 cycle.
The agency is also selling rights in Brunei, China, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, North Korea, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan in APAC. Its package includes the rights to both legs of the two semi-finals as well as the single-leg final.
On March 1 and April 20, AC Milan and Inter will square off in the first semi-final. The second semi-final will be played on March 2 and April 21 and will feature Fiorentina and Juventus. The final is set for May 11 at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.
Lega Serie A launched the international rights sales process for Serie A, Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa Italiana for the 2021-24 cycle in November 2020. Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana rights deals were announced in April, May, and July of last year with various broadcasters and agencies.
Lega Serie A increased its Arabic-language YouTube streaming of Serie A matches in the MENA region from five to all ten weekly matches earlier this month. Due to the lack of a deal with a traditional broadcaster, the league has shown matches on YouTube free of charge in MENA since the start of this season.
The Infront agency holds Serie A international rights from 2021-22 to 2023-24 in a contract worth €139 million ($156 million) per year, but it excludes MENA and the United States. The previous rights holder in the region, BeIN Media Group, did not participate in the most recent auction. BeIN was dissatisfied with an initial sales process that allowed for country-specific bids rather than a pan-regional offering.