MFE retains domestic TV rights of Italian soccer cup

MILAN :Italy's top soccer league Serie A said on Monday it had awarded commercial broadcaster MFE-MediaForEurope the domestic TV rights for the next three seasons of the Italian Cup competition.

The deal also includes the right to screen the Italian Super Cup which has been revamped earlier this year as a four-team competition rather than being a match between the winners of Serie A and the Italian Cup.

The league did not disclose financial details of the deal but two sources close to the matter told Reuters MFE's offer was worth about 56 million euros ($59.48 million) per season, including some 4 million euros of variable components.

That brings the total value of the deal, which covers the three seasons until 2026-27, to around 168 million euros.

The sources added that 18 out of 20 Serie A clubs voted in favour of MFE's offer at a teleconferenced meeting on Monday.

MFE-MediaForEurope declined to comment.

The company, which is controlled by the family of late media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi, is the current holder of the Italian Cup and Super Cup domestic TV rights, under a three-year contract expiring in June and worth some 145 million euros.

Last week, Serie A awarded DAZN and Sky Italia the rights to screen live Italy's top flight soccer league matches in Italy for the next five seasons in a 4.5 billion euro deal.

($1 = 0.9415 euros)