Reggio Emilia, September 1 – It was supposed to be the evening of Reggiana’s away game in Gubbio, with Teletricolore ready to broadcast the match live to fans who stayed home. But the broadcaster’s signal went out Sunday evening just before the 9 PM game, leaving part of the audience unable to watch the match.
A technical problem that sparked controversy after the match, with Teletricolore director Giovanni Mazzoni implying live – bluntly – the possibility of a non-accidental intervention. “There are two types of communists, those who work for the people and those who have specific interests. I address the people I respect: the honorable Ilenia Malavasi, Andrea Rossi, Graziano Delrio, to understand if this is the way to act.”
The clarification with a clear head
The next day, with a clear head, the director clarified that he “did not want to accuse anyone.” However, he explains, the problem occurred on the signal transmitted through Reti, a consortium company controlled by Trmedia, which also manages Telereggio. “We have two entities that distribute our signal, one is Ei Towers and the other Reti. Sunday evening we found that Reti was no longer transmitting. We carried out technical checks, finding that our signal was regular. The problem was precisely inside the Reti structure and we could do nothing. The signal, absent from 8:05 PM, suddenly returned only about fifteen minutes before the end of the match. The game was still available for those who had their TV tuned to Ei Towers, but many viewers missed the match.”
The controversy
From here, the controversy: “I emphasized that everyone can have their own ideas about the randomness of the event, I’m not saying it was done on purpose – Mazzoni clarifies –. However, the disappointment remains for an episode that caused economic damage and raises a transparency issue in the local television system. A city like Reggio does not deserve situations like these, which leave us very perplexed and cannot go unnoticed.”
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Teletricolore will now carry out the necessary checks, also considering involving Agcom, to understand how to protect itself in the future.
The denial from Telereggio
However, a categorical denial comes from Telereggio. Director Mattia Mariani denies any involvement in the matter: “I confirm that a technical fault occurred Sunday evening, promptly fixed. We have absolutely nothing to do with it.” Then, there is also a clarification on the contractual level: “Teletricolore has a contract for the use of the network. There is also a principle behind it: if you don’t pay, you risk having your channel blacked out. This applies to everyone, including us,” explains Mariani. Meanwhile, Teletricolore confirms the upcoming live broadcasts of Reggiana’s away games, already scheduled in Guidonia and Perugia. The broadcaster acquired a package of nine matches through the Serie C tender. “All at a professional level, we acquired this right. We have already broadcast the Livorno match, we will broadcast the one in Guidonia and then Perugia, which is very important to the fans. Then maybe we will take another package for the return round, depending on the results,” concludes Mazzoni.
