Sky Italia wins World Cup arbitration against Mediaset

Italian DTH operator Sky Italia said that an international court of arbitration has rejected claims by Mediaset's RTI regarding the 2010 FIFA World Cup football tournament. RTI has claimed that Sky Italia purchased the rights to broadcast the competition in breach of undertakings that Sky signed with the European Commission in 2003. Initially, RTI asked the court of arbitration to make such rights available to other TV operators, but later requested compensation for damages caused by its pay-TV platform Mediaset Premium's inability to broadcast the soccer contest. The court of arbitration denied that the rights to broadcast the World Cup are subject to the undertakings, as they concern an event that is not essential for the competitiveness of a TV operator. The court therefore confirmed the full legitimacy of Sky Italia's behaviour and completely rejected the claims submitted by RTI.