Inter Milan owners Suning lose China Serie A broadcast rights: report
- Italian club are at ‘delicate moment’ financially, CEO says before win over Fiorentina not shown in China
- PP Sports lost English Premier League rights over delayed payment with the two parties now suing one another
PP Sports which had the broadcast rights for China reportedly lost them after failing to make a payment to IMG, Italian football website Calciomercato.com reported.
IMG paid €340 million per season for the global media rights for the 2018-19 to 2020-21 seasons in a deal agreed in 2017.
Tencent bought the rights for the current season for a fraction of the deal agreed with the former broadcaster.
PP Sports is owned by Suning, the Chinese retail giant who took control of Inter Milan in 2016.
Suning have been reported as looking for investors into the Milan giants, with the Financial Times reporting on Friday that they are looking for US$200 million in emergency finance. Last month the club denied reports it would be sold.
Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore reported online on Wednesday that British venture capitalists BC Partners made a final offer to Suning for the club.
“All our matches are important, this is a delicate moment due to problems which have little to do with the football,” Inter CEO Guiseppe Marotta told Sky Sports Italia ahead of the game against Fiorentina. “We as the club management are managing it in the best way.”
“The positive results make the environment more compact, even the big problems become small,” Marotta said. “Things are going well, we hope that things are resolved quickly in order to give peace of mind.
“It is a problem that involves our shareholders, who are responsible people and will go on to make wise choices for the project. It is a situation that does not concern Inter, but our shareholders.
“We will go forward with strength, determination and a sense of belonging. It is a moment of world financial contraction and what is happening at Inter is also happening at other clubs.”
