Serie A lands on iQiyi in China

Chinese streaming service iQiyi Sports has agreed a deal to broadcast the top-flight Italian football league Serie A.

The streamer has agreed a two-season deal which will kick off for the 2022/23 campaign when it starts in August. The digital-only deal will see the Baidu-owned iQiyi live stream matches while also serving as a home for highlights, news content and fan activations with individual clubs. 

In addition to the above, premium iQiyi subscribers will also be provided access to commentary in multiple languages. 

The deal was agreed via regional agency China Sports Media (CSM) which had acquired the rights from Serie A’s global sales partner Infront. 

This is the second digital rights deal with Serie A in China, having previously announced a partnership with China Mobile-owned Migu. Migu was previously announced as the exclusive streaming partner for Serie A in China, but that has evidently been changed. 

The Serie A rights joins an iQiyi Sports portfolio which also includes the English Premier League, Spain’s LaLiga and the UEFA Champions League.