Football, investments and media rights. This triangular scheme seems to be among the most established and recurring of successful business stories of modern times when it comes to sports.
In fact, TIR4 has grown in its activity and become one of the most active in the market, thanks to that ethos. Besides Malta, TIR4 also has branches in Lugano, Milan and Naples with the headquarters in Turin.
It employs over 50 persons and is run by CEO Nicola Davolio, CTO Bruno de Risi, Simone Artina as CMO and Reuben Debono as COO. TIR4 operates mainly in real estate, the sector that guarantees stability to the whole group. But in the interest of finding new paths in its investments, TIR4 has recently made a big step in what could be a real turning point, thanks to the partnership with Senglea Athletic FC, this season playing in the Maltese Premier League.
The idea of shifting into the Maltese game is the result of a group which is well-known in the sport with a huge knowledge of South American and Italian football.
A a sports attorney, partner of the companyputs all his passion into the pursuit of talents, the acquisition of which may lead to major gains in negotiations.
“While TIR4 has embarked on a new project, that of the acquisition of a Maltese top-flight side, we are now putting our efforts in the interest of proposing and eventually implementing the concept of TV rights in Malta,” Artina, who is also the Head of Marketing at Senglea Athletic, told the Times of Malta.
“In fact, we have a meeting with the Malta FA in the coming days where we will have the opportunity to deliver our innovative ideas.”
Asked about how viable he thinks the idea of TV rights in Malta is, Artina explained how they have been studying Maltese society along with the sport to absorb the island’s culture.
“We are very optimistic that our idea can be more than welcomed here given how beneficial it can be,” Artina said.
“We believe that talents can also be born in your own backyard, but one must know how to recognise them.”
If this is not enough to point out the ambition which enabled TIR4 to choose Malta, Artina said it is necessary to underline the crucial element of potential television investment, recalling the experiences of recent decades such as that of Silvio Berlusconi, owner of Milan and the main private network broadcasters in Italy, or the purchase of Paris SG by Canal+ in France.
TIR4 holds PLAYLIVE, a system that allows the installation of robotic technology for live streaming.
Artina said: “The group’s intention for the next few months is to become one of the main actors in the negotiation of television rights in Maltese football. An idea, which would strengthen the entirety of Maltese football.
“Football has became an industry with the crucial entry of capital for TV rights. Something similar could happen in the Maltese league.”