Serie A postpones vote over Sky's bid for minor TV rights package

Football - Italian Super Cup - Final - Juventus v Napoli - Mapei Stadium, Reggio Emilia, Italy - January 20, 2021. Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with the Italian Super Cup. [REUTERS/Alberto Lingria]

Serie A clubs agreed on Wednesday to postpone until next week a vote on pay TV operator Sky's bid for screening three out of 10 games on a non-exclusive basis, Italian soccer's top league said in a statement.

The postponement comes after Sky, owned by U.S. group Comcast, requested a judge to block the sale of Serie A's main domestic rights package to sport streaming service DAZN, saying the process was not compliant with Italian laws aimed at protecting competition.

A decision on the case is expected in a few days, a legal source familiar with the matter said after a closed door hearing on Wednesday.

Inter Milan fans celebrate winning Serie A - Milan, Italy - May 2, 2021. [REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo/File Photo]

In March, Serie A awarded DAZN the rights to screen all Serie A matches for 2.5 billion euros in the 2021-24 period in Italy, including exclusive rights for seven out of 10 games per matchday

Sky's proposal was broadly in line with a previous offer which was rejected by Serie A, worth some 263 million euros, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Under the current three-year agreement, expiring in June, Serie A raised about 2.9 billion euros from Sky and DAZN, with Sky holding the lion's share of the rights.