Italian Football Returns to Five

LONDON, August 2: British terrestrial broadcaster Five has
acquired a package of live and highlight broadcast rights for football matches
featuring the Italian league Serie A.

The deal was brokered by Inform Group, on behalf of rights
holder Media Partners & Silva. The agreement includes a live match airing
on Five at 2 p.m. on Sundays, with an additional match to be broadcast in the
network’s late-night sports program output on Mondays and a highlights program
on Saturday mornings at 11:30 a.m.

Mike Ingram, the director at Inform Group, who brokered the
deal on behalf of Media Partners & Silva, commented: “This agreement
reverses the trend of terrestrial broadcasters losing out to pay-TV. Serie A is
now the only one of the major European leagues to have live terrestrial
coverage in a major western European market.”

Robert Charles, the controller of sport for Five, added: “We
are delighted that our viewers—both terrestrial and on digital—will
be able to see some of the top club sides in the world in a truly fantastic
league.”