The two Italian pay-TV operators, Stream and Tele+, have together earned over L125 billion (E64.56 million) during 1999 from football matches. Market leader Tele+ earned 86.6 per cent of the sum, or L108.5 billion, while Stream took the remaining 13.3 per cent or L16.7 billion. However, these revenues cannot cover the rising costs for TV rights. In fact, during 1999 Tele+ had revenues of L108 billion, a sum that corresponds more or less to that Tele+ paid for the TV rights for home matches of Juventus. The same is true for Stream, which according to some estimates, paid a total of L240 billion a year for exclusive coverage of Lazio, Roma, Parma and Fiorentina matches.

On July 16, Italy’s competition watchdog opened a probe to determine whether the country’s two pay-TV operators have breached a 1999 law that imposes a 60 per cent cap on encrypted rights to first division football matches. The Italian Antitrust Commission said the probe results will be announced by September 15, two weeks before the start of the new football season.