Champions, Amazon-Warner Bros Discovery agreement for Barcelona-Inter on Nine (and on Prime Video)

The understanding this time is between Amazon and Warner Bros Discovery. This is, according to the Sole 24 Ore, the conclusion of the affair concerning the free-to-air transmission of the next Champions League semi-final. Result: the match between Barcelona and Inter on 30 April will be broadcast on Nove, the free-to-air channel of the US media company led by David Zaslav. The match will start at 9 p.m., but as explained in the Warner Bros Discovery press release that confirmed the agreement, 'the pre-match Prime Video will also be available free-to-air on Nove from 7.30 p.m. live from the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, better known as 'Montjuic', in Barcelona'.

In 2023, on the occasion of the semi-final that then featured AC Milan and Inter Milan (even two Italian teams and not just one), the deal was struck between Amazon and Sky, which broadcast the match on Tv8. Now the Seattle giant is making the deal with Warner Bros Discovery. Not a choice after all, but a compulsory step for Amazon who, having exclusive audiovisual rights for the match - as for all the best Wednesday matches of the competition, to be assigned by Uefa - had to basically put them up for auction to meet a legal obligation. The Champions League semi-final, in fact, having at least one Italian team in the match is considered an event 'of particular importance'. And as such it must be broadcast free-to-air through a channel capable of reaching 80% of the population. In this context, according to the Sole 24 Ore, advertising sales for the event broadcast on Nove will be sold by the same Warner Bros. concessionaire Discovery.

Establishing the free-to-air broadcasting obligation of the Champions League semi-final is the Agcom 131/12/CONS resolution issued on the basis of Article 33 of the Testo unico dei servizi di media audiovisivi. An act of 2012 (known as the Events List Resolution) in which various appointments, national and otherwise, considered to be of particular importance, are put on paper. These include 'the final and semi-finals of the Champions League and the Europa League if Italian teams are involved'. For these, there cannot be exclusive broadcasting and only in coded form, since - as per Article 2 of Annex B to the Agcom resolution - it must be ensured that 'at least 80% of the population can follow them on a free programme schedule without additional costs'.

In the Prime Video sideline studio, continues the Warner Bros Discovery statement, "there will be Giulia Mizzoni, Clarence Seedorf, Julio Cesar, Fernando Llorente and Maicon. Prime Video's commentary and post-match commentary will also be broadcast free-to-air on Nine. The commentary for Barcelona-Inter will be given to Sandro Piccinini and Massimo Ambrosini. In Prime Video's VAR Room Gianpaolo Calvarese. Alessia Tarquinio, Alessandro Alciato and Fernando Siani will be on the sidelines".