Serie A dominated global football in the nineties and noughties, with names like Maldini, Totti and Gattuso recognised from Naples to Salford.
That prestige has faded considerably, and data shows Italian football commands far less international interest than the Premier League among overseas fans today.
Private equity investors are now circling Serie A’s global media rights, sensing an opportunity to close the gap with England’s top flight.
But selling rights more efficiently is only one piece of a much larger and more complicated puzzle facing Italian football.
Deloitte’s latest figures show Serie A’s broadcast revenue has grown just one per cent, with sponsorship also performing poorly across the board.
The most alarming indicator is that international rights account for approximately a quarter of Serie A’s broadcast revenue, compared to 40 to 50 per cent for the Premier League and La Liga.
A private equity partner could deliver leaner operations, fewer duplicated costs, and more tailored packages for individual markets around the world.
The fundamental problem, however, is that a smaller global audience commands a smaller rights package, regardless of how efficiently those rights are sold.
Broadcasters are unlikely to place Serie A in the same bracket as Premier League-sized deals while the competition attracts a smaller and less consistent international following.
Italian football’s heritage ensures the major clubs retain strong overseas support, but sustaining engagement beyond those marquee names remains a genuine challenge.
The Premier League benefits from an international mix of players and managers that gives supporters a personal connection to clubs well beyond the game’s biggest stars.
Fantasy football, content creators and extensive media coverage have further enhanced the Premier League’s spectacle and kept international audiences returning week after week.
Serie A also faces growing structural competition from the expanded Champions League, which now features the continent’s best clubs competing across nearly ten months of the season.
When elite European football is available midweek throughout the calendar, enthusiasm for a routine weekend Serie A fixture outside Italy becomes harder to sustain.
Research conducted at MTM found that 10 per cent of non-Italian fans follow an Italian club as their second club, compared to 55 per cent of non-UK fans who follow a UK club.
Chris Sadd, research director at MTM, suggests this gap actually represents opportunity, positioning Serie A as a second league fans might actively choose rather than a competitor for top spot.
Serie A’s plan to host AC Milan against Como in Perth, Australia was a step in the right direction, even though the match was ultimately cancelled before it could take place.
An overseas fixture can generate initial enthusiasm, but the harder work involves retaining that interest once the players have boarded the plane and returned to Europe.
Fans who attend such events need pathways into the wider league, including smaller clubs like Como, rather than walking away with a single memorable evening and nothing more.
Creators who understand local audiences and accessible digital formats, particularly on YouTube, are essential tools for making Italian football easier for new fans to engage with consistently.
Private equity backing can help Serie A expand its international reach, but genuinely closing the gap with the Premier League ultimately depends on building far more people who care enough to return the following week.