Why better rights deals won’t close Serie A’s gap with the Premier League
Why better rights deals won’t close Serie A’s gap with the Premier League
Private equity is circling Serie A’s global media rights, betting that sharper sales can help close the gap with the Premier League.
But in his latest piece for City AM, MTM’s research director Chris Sadd argues the bigger challenge sits further upstream: audience.
Drawing on findings from The Rise of the Second Club Fan, our research with Engage Digital Partners, Chris points to a stark gap in global fandom. Just 10% of non-Italian fans name an Italian club as their second club, compared with 55% for a UK club.
His argument is that Serie A doesn’t need to out-glamour the Premier League. There is an opportunity to become the league fans choose to follow next, but that depends on building stronger relationships beyond matchday through content, creators and storytelling that keep international audiences engaged after the final whistle.
In focus at mtm
