Sports Broadcasting Rights

The negotiations are carried out taking care, on one hand, to purchase the rights to use on all the platforms on which Rai broadcasts, feeding not only the television programming (general-interest and theme-specific), but the radio and internet programming too, and, on the other, paying close attention to the restrictions imposed by the budgets assigned. On this matter, considerable savings were made with respect to the reference budget in 2009.

During 2009, the Sports Broadcasting Rights unit entered into agreements to purchase important broadcasting events linked to the most significant sporting disciplines. In some cases these were renewals of agreements to purchase rights already held by Rai, while in others they were new purchases, which marked the return to Rai of important events such as the men's Serie A volleyball championship.

In other words, the unit's activity focused on both the question of longterm agreements and renewals, and on the analysis and study of new buying opportunities, laying the foundations for launching negotiations for the completion of medium/long-term agreements.

The aim of the activities illustrated is to enhance Rai's sports broadcasting rights portfolio more and more, so that it is able to continue guaranteeing the richest free offering on the reference market, as well as the consequent broadcasting on the general-interest networks or free digital theme-specific channel dedicated to sport, the potential of which is undoubtedly interesting in view of the completion of the switch-off of the analogue television signal.

Some of the important agreements which make up Rai's broadcasting rights portfolio are:
- the agreement with the FIGC for the broadcasting of the matches played by the Italian football team;
- the agreement with Lega Calcio relating to the highlights of the Serie A and B football championship matches, useable after 6.00 p.m.;
- the agreement to purchase the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) matches played from the eighth round;
- the contract with the UEFA to broadcast the Champions League (one match for every day's play and the final phases);
- the agreements relating to the matches organised by the Lega Pro, 5-a-side football, women's football and other youth events;
- the renewal of the exclusive contract for the Giro d'Italia and other cycling events (until 2012);
- the agreement relating to the Tour de France;
- he purchase of the men's Serie A volleyball championship for the 2009- 2010 season, as well as the men's world cup which will be held in Rome in autumn 2010;
- the long-term agreement relating to the downhill and cross-country World Cup Skiing seasons until 2011;
- the agreement for the broadcasting of the world swimming cup.

Other agreements for the sporting disciplines include several for the socalled 'minor' sports, which while lacking relevance in terms of viewing figures, play an important role in Rai's mission as a public service broadcaster.

Lastly, in terms of hours of programming, those dedicated to sport on the general-interest channels, among news bulletins, features and commentary amounted to a total of 1,370. These broadcasts allowed four sporting events to be among the six most watched programmes of the year.