Serie B kicks off its own LaB Channel on Amazon Prime Video

It has often been talked about for the top Serie A. Instead, it is now Serie B that has made official what represents a turning point for sports rights: the launch of its own direct, self-produced channel. Serie B is not the major league, it is clear, but the experiment will not fail to be viewed with attention even at the highest levels of Italian football.

"Starting from Tuesday 3 December, football fans will be able to enjoy the new LaB Channel visible on Prime Video and enjoy, from the next day, all the matches of the Serie B teams," the Serie Cadetta announced. The Serie Cadetta has thus made official a piece of news that was in the air, given the content of the recent Agcom resolution 447/24/Cons, which stated that the Lega di Serie B was authorised to provide linear audiovisual services over the Internet.

In essence, the green light had been given by the Authority to the live streaming of Serie B matches already a reality with Dazn having secured non-exclusive rights to Serie B for 13 million per year by renewing the previous three-year agreement (for 2021-24 it had assigned non-exclusive rights to Sky, Dazn and that Helbiz which, however, did not hold up in the end, leaving the playing field before the last of the three years).

The collaboration with Amazon represents a significant turning point for the world of sports television rights, with the Lega Serie B that, thanks to a self-produced channel (and here the Lega Serie B would have somehow found its way paved by the fact that it already produces the matches broadcast by Dazn), aims to expand its audience. As for Amazon's home streaming platform, the result of the agreement is certainly to increase its presence in football on video. Although, in this case, it should be pointed out that Amazon is only acting as a distributor, on one of its pay channels, which will contain LaB Channel. Which, for now, will only broadcast matches and highlights at EUR 9.99 per month and EUR 4.99 for the first three months on offer.

"To activate LaB Channel on Prime Video," reads the Lega Serie B's note, "all you need to do is already be an Amazon Prime customer, or activate your Prime subscription at https://www.amazon.it/amazonprime, and add LaB Channel to your subscription. An offer that, by necessity, will conflict with Dazn, which has also focused, as an asset, on Serie B in addition to the entirety of Serie A (while the three European competitions are from this year exclusive to Sky).