Watching Sport in Italy
Italy has the most generous football split in Europe in one sense and the most annoying in another. One service carries every single Serie A match — all 380 of them — and that same service does not carry the Champions League at all. The Champions League is carved in two between a pay satellite operation and a general-purpose streaming service. Working out which one you need is the whole task in Italy.
What changed recently. Italy rewrote the list of events that
must be free to air. A new MIMIT decree was published in the Gazzetta
Ufficiale in November 2025, and AGCOM adopted the implementing measure on
29 April 2026 after a public consultation. The rule behind it is blunt: rights
must be exercised so that at least 80% of the Italian population can
watch free, and pay rights-holders must publish offers to transfer
rights on fair and reasonable terms. One timing caveat matters, though: only
Italy's World Cup and European Championship matches have to be live now —
sixteen of the new items take effect only as existing contracts expire.
What you can watch free in Italy
| What is free | Where |
|---|---|
| Coppa Italia matches | Mediaset's free channels — Canale 5 and Italia 1 — plus full-match replays free with ads on Mediaset Infinity |
| Italy internationals | Protected by law and carried on Rai's free channels |
| Giro d'Italia | Free on Rai |
| Serie A and Serie B highlights | DAZN's free tier, which it calls FreeZone |
| Selected weekly events | DAZN FreeZone also carries international football and free picks from FIFA+ |
| Rai 1, 2, 3 and Rai Sport | Free on RaiPlay, including free-to-air Italy matches |
| Six Nations | TV8, Sky's free-to-air channel, carries the Six Nations |
Where the free list stops, and why. La7, Nove and TV8 are free-to-air, but we could not verify any major live football rights on them. TV8 carries occasional free Champions League or Formula 1 coverage, and that varies event by event — treat it as a bonus rather than a plan. And a common false lead: Paramount+ is not available in Italy. Anything you read about "Serie A on Paramount+" refers to a United States channel add-on, not an Italian service.
The main services, and what they cost
| Service | Carries | From | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAZN Italia | All ten Serie A matches per round to 2028/29, Serie B, LaLiga to 2029, FA Cup, Serie A Women, Eurosport. No Champions League | Sports €14.99/month, Goal from €19.99, Full €44.99, Family €69.99. A promotional banner advertises Serie A from €34.99 | No, but a permanent free tier |
| Sky Italia via NOW | Three Serie A matches per round, 185 of the 203 Champions League matches, all Europa and Conference League, Premier League and Bundesliga exclusively, Serie C, Formula 1 exclusively to 2027, MotoGP, NBA, ATP, Wimbledon | NOW Sport €19.99/month on a 12-month term, or €29.99 with no commitment. The full NOW bundle is €41.99. Sky Stream runs €24.99/month for 18 months then €51.90, or €26.99 then €59.90 with Calcio, plus €19 activation | Not stated — we mark that unverified rather than promise one |
| Prime Video Italia | 18 exclusive Champions League matches on Wednesdays, plus Serie B through its LaB Channel | €49.90/year including Prime, about €4.10/month | Not verified |
| Mediaset Infinity | Canale 5, Italia 1 and Rete 4 live, plus free Coppa Italia matches and replays | Free with ads. A paid Infinity+ tier exists, but its price is not published where we could read it | Not applicable |
| RaiPlay | Italy internationals, the Giro, athletics, Olympics | Free | Not applicable |
Who shows what
| Competition | Paid | Free |
|---|---|---|
| Serie A | DAZN has all 380 matches; Sky has three matches per round co-exclusively, to 2028/29 | Highlights on DAZN FreeZone |
| Coppa Italia and Supercoppa | Mediaset | Free on Canale 5 and Italia 1 |
| Champions League | Sky carries 185 of 203 matches; Prime Video has 18 exclusive Wednesday matches | Semi-finals and final where an Italian club is involved, under the listed-events rules |
| Europa and Conference League | Sky, all matches | None confirmed |
| Premier League and Bundesliga | Sky, exclusively | None |
| LaLiga | DAZN to 2029 | None |
| Formula 1 | Sky and NOW, exclusively to 2027 | Races held in Italy are protected, in principle |
| MotoGP | Sky | The Italian Grand Prix is protected, in principle |
The cheapest legal routes
- Free first. Coppa Italia matches cost nothing on Canale 5 and Italia 1, and DAZN FreeZone covers highlights and some live events at no charge.
- Serie A on a budget, football only: DAZN's Goal tier from €19.99.
- Not interested in football? DAZN's Sports tier at €14.99 is the cheapest sports subscription in the country.
- One Champions League match a week on the cheap: Prime Video at €49.90 for a whole year is the lowest-cost legal route to live Champions League football in Italy.
- All 203 Champions League matches: that means Sky, and NOW Sport at €19.99 on a 12-month term is the cheapest way in.
- The trap to avoid: no single service in Italy gives you both Serie A and the Champions League. If you want both, you are paying two subscriptions — unless Italy's free-to-air protection covers the specific match you care about.
Is Serie A on DAZN in Italy?
Yes — DAZN carries all ten Serie A matches per round, and holds those rights to 2028/29. Sky also has three matches per round co-exclusively. What DAZN does not have in Italy is the Champions League.
Where can I watch the Champions League in Italy?
Sky carries 185 of the 203 matches and Prime Video has 18 exclusive Wednesday matches. DAZN's Italian storefront does not list the Champions League at all, which is exactly the kind of country-by-country difference that catches people out.
What must be free to air in Italy?
Under the new MIMIT list published in November 2025, with AGCOM's implementing measure of April 2026: the Olympics and Paralympics, every Italy match in official competitions, the Giro d'Italia, motor races held in Italy, the semi-finals and finals of European club competitions involving Italian clubs, and leading world finals. Free means free to at least 80% of the Italian population.
Is everything on the Italian list free right now?
No. Only Italy's World Cup and European Championship matches have to be live immediately. The other new items take effect as existing contracts expire, so the practical free offering grows rather than switching on all at once.
Is there a free trial for Italian sports streaming?
None that we could confirm. NOW's Italian site does not state a free trial, and DAZN's free section is a permanent free tier rather than a trial. Italy does have one of the better free tiers in Europe, so start there.
Does Paramount+ show Serie A in Italy?
No — Paramount+ is not available in Italy. "Serie A on Paramount+" is a United States channel add-on, and guides that present it as an Italian option are wrong.
Where to go next
Serie A coverage worldwide DAZN by country Free live streams Watching sport in Germany