Cardinale: ‘Serie A used to be Premier League, like Hollywood needs urgent innovation’
TURIN, ITALY - AUGUST 23: Gerry Cardinale, President of AC Milan, looks on before the Serie A match between Torino FC and AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on August 23, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Milan patron Gerry Cardinale insists ‘there are many similarities between Hollywood and Italian football, both have enormous potential and must urgently innovate’ because ‘Serie A used to be the Premier League.’
His company RedBird was a key figure in the Skydance takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, combining with Paramount-Warner and the Ellisons to create a huge media conglomerate.
RedBird invested circa $6 billion and it is safe to assume this could create synergies with Milan going forward, but that could also include a new bid for Serie A rights both nationally and internationally.
“We’ll see. I don’t know yet. I think DAZN is doing a great job. But anything is possible. We’ve got a lot to do and plenty of priorities to focus on before we start thinking about this,” Cardinale told Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper.
Cardinale ideas to revitalise Serie A
This is the Italian version of the Financial Times, and therefore the focus of the interview was also on how the Rossoneri chief aims to transform the Serie A impact around the world.
“Serie A used to be the Premier League. Milan were at the top. What happened? In these industries, if you become complacent and fail to reinvent yourself, if you don’t approach every day with a sense of urgency to innovate, you’ll be crushed by the competition.
“Hollywood became complacent. It thought it was protected. Then a DVD seller came along asking to licence the content. Netflix was born and crushed them, because technology had changed.”
There is much talk of reform in Italian football to bridge the financial chasm with the Premier League, but what does Cardinale believe they should do?
“I have said on several occasions that we need to improve the product, making it more appealing and interesting for distributors and the international audience as well.
“In Italy, people are a bit wary of change and there is some resistance to innovation. Italian football must innovate. It must change with a sense of urgency, and I want to be one of the driving forces behind this change.
“I see many similarities between Hollywood and Italian football: both have enormous potential and must urgently return to innovating.”
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