DAZN and Sky lead the race for Serie A rights

Liam Watson
Serie A is still on the hunt for a media rights partner, as DAZN and Sky put in offers for Italy's top-flight league.

Serie A is still on the hunt for a media rights partner, as DAZN and Sky put in offers for Italy’s top-flight league.

A new broadcast rights agreement is yet to be solved, as Serie A wants €1.15 billion (2.13 billion AUD) a year for the 2021-2024 cycle.

A report by Reuters has stated that digital sports media company DAZN’s offer of €850 million (1.3 billion AUD) has nudged pay-TV network Sky’s reported bid of €750 million (1.2 billion AUD). DAZN would be able to broadcast all matches of the Serie A via its streaming app, while Sky would show games on a variety of platforms.

However, with the Serie A seeking an extra 18% on their current arrangement, it means both companies have failed to reach the minimum target of €1.15 billion (2.13 billion AUD) per season.

It was reported last week that Mediapro and Discovery were the two other bidders who put their hands up, alongside DAZN and Sky. Talks are still continuing between all parties about what to do next.

Reuters has also reported that Serie A could combine DAZN and Sky’s bid to raise the value to the ideal target, if both organisations aren’t able to significantly increase their individual offers.

Sky is aiming to make a bigger presence in Italian football, as they already acquired rights for the UEFA Champions League in the nation lasting three years until the end of the 2023/2024 season.

The terms of the contract mean that Sky will show 121 of the 137 matches per season from Europe’s elite club competition. The deal also covers all 282 matches per season from the UEFA Europa League and the new UEFA Europa Conference League.

The remaining 16 Champions League games per season were taken by Amazon in December, to be shown on its Prime Video streaming platform.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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