IMG Media bids €3 billion for Serie A rights

Sports and fashion media business IMG Media has reportedly offered €3 billion to the Italian football league to secure the rights to advise and manage TV rights for the Serie A. 

According to Italian press reports, IMG Media put in the offer for the three seasons from 2015 to 2018 and said it could extend this to six seasons spanning the period 2015 to 2021.

The offer would reportedly see IMG pay out a minimum € 2.979 billion for the domestic and international TV sales rights – €986 million in the first year, €993 in the second and €1 billion in the third.

It would take a 15% cut of all TV rights sales over this €3 billion, leaving Italy’s football governing body Lega Nazionale Professionisti, also known as Lega Calcio, with the remaining 85%.

This offer is said to outbid current rights owner Infront, which is thought to have offered €5.49 billion for the six years to 2021.

The reports claims that PwC, KPMG and Premier League advisor Wasserman have also expressed interest in the rights to Lega Calcio.

Earlier this week, IMG Media signed a new three-year contract with communications infrastructure and media services company Arqiva for the HD distribution of Barclays Premier League football footage.