Sportitalia, the satellite and digital terrestrial broadcaster in Italy, will continue to air live matches from the Saudi Pro League (SPL) soccer competition after renewing its tie-up for another two years, Sportcal understands.
The deal was brokered by international sports marketing agency IMG, which distributes the league’s media rights worldwide, and will see Sportitalia broadcast three SPL matches per week, or 102 matches in total, across its free-to-air channel through the 2026-27 campaign.
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The 2025-26 season is due to kick off on August 28, featuring 18 teams.
The rights build on Sportitalia’s previous deal with the SPL covering the 2024-25 season, signed last August, and add to Sportitalia’s other soccer rights, including the top-tier Argentine Primera Division until 2027.
Last year, IMG extended and expanded its relationship with the SPL and Saudi Arabian Football Federation through a five-year production deal, with IMG taking on the role of broadcast producer for the Saudi top tier, the King’s Cup, and the Saudi Super Cup knockout competitions.
The SPL has been doing its utmost to expand internationally in recent years, with the most visible example of this global growth being the wide range of well-known players and worldwide stars who have signed up with Saudi clubs – including Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo.
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By GlobalDataA Netflix series has also been produced – Saudi Pro League: Kickoff – which went live in late November, while a range of commercial deals with international brands have also been struck.
The 2024-25 SPL season was shown in more than 165 countries on 43 global platforms, including well-known broadcasters including Canal Plus in France, DAZN across five territories, Fox in the US and Caribbean, Okko in Russia, Tencent in China, and SportyTV in Nigeria and Ghana, signing up for coverage.
Domestically, meanwhile, the league is shown live by Saudi Sports Company.
