Serie A fans in Australia were left sweating on the broadcast rights for the competition being picked up just hours before the 2021-22 season kicked off.
Having previously been shown on beIN SPORTS, there were serious concerns that Serie A had failed to find a home in Australia as rights holders in other territories were confirmed.
While it took until late on Saturday night, beIN SPORTS were ultimately able to strike a new deal to broadcast the competition for the coming campaign.
"beIN SPORTS is pleased to announce the addition of Serie A to its line-up of top European football this season," a statement on their site read.
"Featuring iconic clubs such as defending champion Inter Milan, Juventus, Roma, AC Milan and Napoli and some of the biggest personalities in football, like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Jose Mourinho, and Cristiano Ronaldo, the Italian top flight is set to deliver another compelling title race in 2021-2022."
The reason for the delay in confirmation wasn't explained but it's possible Paramount Plus may have made a play for the competition after their recent acquisition of domestic Australian football rights.
The streaming service shows Serie A in the United States and adding some European football to their library would have been a compelling coup as they try to grow their Australian audience after launching in the country earlier this month.
For beIN SPORTS, the deal means they will now show Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and the Scottish Premiership in Australia this season.
Football fans can subscribe to beIN for $19.99 a month or secure a discounted 12-month deal for $139.99 with a free two-week trial also available for new customers.
Broadcast rights for the round ball game have become increasingly fragmented in Australia over the past few years with Stan Sport recently joining the market after picking up the UEFA Champions League.
Optus Sport had previously shown UEFA competitions but continue to broadcast the Premier League this season and have welcomed the added competition.
"Having everything in one place has proven to be an unsustainable model,” Optus vice-president of product development, content and TV, Clive Dickens said via the Sydney Morning Herald in June.
"The value you get from these products...whether it’s Disney+ or Paramount+ or Stan - all of the operators have kept their price point in an individually affordable way, opposed to what some Australian households were paying in aggregate five or 10 years ago.
"I still think there’s a bit of elasticity in the market but what really needs to happen is we need to provide a better service for consumers to understand where everything is and how they can see value. As the market fragments more, there’s more opportunity to help simplify the market."
Inter Milan kicked off the new Serie A season with a 4-0 win over Genoa with title rivals Juventus starting their campaign against Udinese on Monday at 2.30am (AEST).