Eleven Sports owner Andrea Radrizzani admits he could shut down the streaming service that shows Serie A in the UK. “You cannot just keep losing money.”
The company was launched in the UK over the summer with the surprise purchase of the rights to show Serie A and La Liga in the UK and Ireland.
They had hoped to strike distribution deals with Sky or BT Sport, but with a streaming-only service, it is proving difficult to sustain the costs.
Eleven Sports owner Andrea Radrizzani admits he could shut down the streaming service that shows Serie A in the UK. “You cannot just keep losing money.”
The company was launched in the UK over the summer with the surprise purchase of the rights to show Serie A and La Liga in the UK and Ireland.
They had hoped to strike distribution deals with Sky or BT Sport, but with a streaming-only service, it is proving difficult to sustain the costs.
Eleven Sports spokespeople had told British media earlier this month that reports of a closure were unfounded.
However, Radrizzani’s comments to the New York Times suggest otherwise.
“You cannot just keep losing money.”
It’s reported Eleven Sports have just 50,000 customers and UFC have already pulled out of a contract because there is no wider distribution deal.
There are attempts to renegotiate the television rights with Serie A and La Liga, but those will be difficult to push through.
Serie A rights would revert to IMG, who could then negotiate with a different company, while La Liga sell their rights directly.