<p>Despite Serie A locking up another streaming rights deal in the US with CBS, Serie B is still unknown regarding where fans can find games. </p>



<p>CBS and Paramount+ extended their relationship with the Italian top-flight league via a two-year deal that expires after the 2025/26 season. It ended the long-standing battle for Serie A to find an international partner for its TV rights. That is the same struggle Serie B, the country’s second division, finds itself in. </p>



<p>For now, though, Serie B is following the same practice as Serie A. The failure to secure a domestic and international media rights deal has forced Serie B to re-evaluate its process. Rather than searching for those two at the same time, Serie B has secured a deal for its domestic rights at the 11th hour. <a href="https://www.sportcal.com/media/additional-serie-a-broadcasters-unveiled-in-us-uk-new-serie-b-deal/?cf-view" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New reports</a> state Serie B is signing a domestic rights deal with Amazon Prime Video. Serie B President Mauro Balata confirmed that the negotiation process is concluding. However, there is no information as to how long the deal is, nor do fans know how much Amazon will be paying for these domestic rights. </p>



<p>“The news today is that the league has signed an agreement with&nbsp;Prime Video,” Balata said. “We are defining the technical details. Today we have defined all the legal and negotiating aspects.”</p>



<p>Crucially, this does not apply to the United States. Amazon has forayed into the American soccer media landscape with rights deals involving the National Women’s Soccer League. However, the mega-company will not be airing any Serie B games this season, at least for now. </p>



<p>What this deal between Serie B and Amazon does is clear up the domestic rights process. Now, the league can fully focus on securing rights deals internationally. </p>



<h2>Serie B in need of a US streaming home</h2>



<p>It is not uncommon to see different broadcasters between the first tier and the second tier. In England, for example, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/nbc-wins-premier-league-rights-through-2027-28-20211118-CMS-356238.html">NBC shelled out billions</a> for the rights to the Premier League. However, CBS came in ahead of the 2024/25 season to provide a home for the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/cbs-sports-grabs-efl-carabao-cup-media-rights-in-us/">Championship, League One and League Two</a>. This same trend happened in the past between Serie A and Serie B. While CBS broadcasted the top flight, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/why-italian-soccer-fans-should-consider-helbiz-live-20230214-WST-419700.html">Helbiz Live had the rights</a> to the lower division. However, Helbiz went out of business, leaving Serie B without an American home. </p>



<p>This, of course, has a major impact on the economic standing of Serie B. Without that revenue, teams in the second division suffer. Serie B and other lower divisions in Italy recently lobbied the FIGC, the group overseeing Italian soccer. These lower divisions asked for more revenue sharing from Serie A, which pulls in the biggest media rights deals. </p>



<p>The inability to locate a deal thus far has garnered suggestions that Serie B could create a direct-to-consumer platform. This provides an inherent risk financially. It would be expensive to create the framework to broadcast the league’s games. The benefit is control over the league, but it can be a challenge to grow an audience for a second-tier competition that needs money.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em></p>

Latest news on Serie B games on US TV and streaming

Despite Serie A locking up another streaming rights deal in the US with CBS, Serie B is still in the unknown.


<p>Fans of Italian soccer, if you don’t know about Helbiz Live, you’re missing out.</p>



<p>In the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/how-to-stream-soccer/">soccer streaming wars</a>, established players dominate the scene. Depending on your preferences, many of us subscribe to a combination of <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPN+</a>, <a href="https://imp.i305175.net/c/330866/1313913/11640" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Peacock</a> and <a href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/330866/1007330/3065" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Paramount+</a>, among others. Yet, there is a universe of league-based streaming services that are more niche. For example, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/efl-ifollow-faq-need-know-football-leagues-new-streaming-service-20170509-CMS-211918.html">iFollow</a> exists specifically for fans of lower-league English soccer.</p>



<p>But when it comes to Italian soccer, a name that many of us may be unfamiliar with is <a href="https://helbizlive.com/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Helbiz Live</a>.</p>



<p>Helbiz is an Italian company established in New York in 2015. Readers who live in large cities may have seen their scooters or bikes parked next to sidewalks among the other scooter rental companies. The brand has expanded its footprint. Rather than street bikes and scooters, Helbiz went after a niche audience spending money on loyalty. In this case, it was Italian soccer fans. The service began to offer <a href="https://soccertvblog.com/serie-b-coming-to-u-s-on-fox-networks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Serie B</a> (second division) streaming this season for a monthly or yearly subscription price. The CBS deal with <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/where-to-watch-serie-a-on-us-tv-and-internet/">Serie A</a> does not cover the lower tiers.</p>



<h5>Lower divisions in Italy</h5>



<p>Serie B is a valuable investment. I have long been a defender of Italian soccer. Even then, Serie B can sometimes channel the worst stereotypes. Diving and hand gestures are rampant. Like other second divisions, it is overly physical. However, the level of talent in the league is top-notch, leading to a higher quality of play than you may expect from Serie B.</p>



<p>Then, there are the clubs competing. Start with a club like Venezia. One of America’s favorite soccer clubs had a <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/05/14/relegated-venezia-frustate-romas-european-ambitions/">nice run in Serie A</a>. Now, it is battling to survive in the second division. Whether it’s the beautiful waterside stadium, fashionable kits or extreme American influence, Venezia matches are not to miss.</p>



<p>The club is struggling this season. As of early February, Venezia is just a few points above the relegation zone. If they fall out of Serie B this season, you won’t be able to legally stream their matches. Therefore, you will want to watch them this season, just in case.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/Frosinone1928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Frosinone1928</a> is still on 🔝 in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SerieBKT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SerieBKT</a> 🚀<br>Three teams in third place🔥<br>What a fantastic fight in the middle of the ranking🏟️<br>Second success in a row for <a href="https://twitter.com/VeneziaFC_IT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VeneziaFC_IT</a>⚽<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HelbizLive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HelbizLive</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ranking?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ranking</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/match?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#match</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/goal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#goal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/championship?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#championship</a> <a href="https://t.co/QOXHBm40zE">pic.twitter.com/QOXHBm40zE</a></p>— Helbiz Live (@HelbizLive) <a href="https://twitter.com/HelbizLive/status/1625076104846344192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>Serie B also has a number of familiar clubs. Genoa, Bari, Cagliari, Parma and SPAL among others. The last two have an <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/serie-bs-ascoli-fc-adds-to-trend-of-americans-investing-in-global-game-20210920-CMS-345509.html">American influence</a>. There are also a number of interesting managers roaming the sidelines. That includes the recently returned Claudio Ranieri at Cagliari, Daniele de Rossi at SPAL and Filippo Inzaghi at Regina. The table is tight throughout and there are a number of recognizable players.</p>



<h2>Subscribing to Helbiz Live for Serie B</h2>



<p>Now that I convinced you the league is worth your attention, what about the streaming service? Right now, the monthly subscription cost is about $6 per month. Granted this is a little high for receiving one league, even if it is not as high as <a href="https://tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.7000?itsct=wst_mls&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=1010l35s4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MLS Season Pass</a>. However, you do have access to every match, including replays. </p>



<p>The stream is from the league but the quality is top-notch. I have watched matches on a computer, phone, tablet and streamed to a TV. Each time, the picture and audio was clear. If you miss a live match, the replay is available without a score spoiler. There are also add-ons like weekend round-ups, interviews, and match summaries. You can identify a favorite team and easily access their schedule and matches. Also, some subscription options come with credits for Helbiz rentals.</p>



<p>There are some key downsides. Helbiz as a company has gone through some growing pains. Consequently, it is not as established a sports provider as ESPN. There are essentially four commercials that run throughout the matches, so you may get tired of beautiful people riding scooters or kids in awe over former Serie B players. There is not a league table built into the app. So, you may need to look elsewhere to see what position each club enters the match. Also, the content is in Italian, and you need to make sure you’re subscribing via the English site which may not be the first one that comes up upon search. If you don’t speak the language or need to hear what’s going on, you may have a tough time following the matches.</p>



<p>I purchased a full-season subscription in September to watch my favorite club, and I have not regretted it. The streaming service is good and presents the league well, with both passion in the stands and quality on the pitch. However, I hope to not have to purchase it again next season as my favorite club hopefully continues to fight for promotion. </p>



<p>At least I know <a href="https://helbizlive.com/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Helbiz Live</a> will allow me to legally enjoy the atmosphere and experience if they stay in Serie B.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / LaPresse</em></p>


Helbiz Live caters to a niche audience that follows Serie B. It is well worth it considering the drama of the Italian second division.

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Latest news on Serie B games on US TV and streaming

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Why Italian soccer fans should consider Helbiz Live