We have come a long way from the days of Football Italia on Channel 4. Since those heady times, Serie A has bounced around broadcasters like a rubber ball dropped from the top tier of the San Siro. It has ended up at the feet of OneFootball who are offering on-demand single game streams or passes to watch the entire league or all the matches of your favourite team. Some have been critical of the last-minute nature of the arrangement – only announced on the eve of the new season. But how will it work out for supporters overall?

It is fair to say the 15-year-old me would have killed for a deal like this. I used to listen to games on shortwave radio and see the results in the paper two days after they had been played. The thought of a virtual season ticket to suffer every single match of the side I support would have been worth almost any price.

The flipside, of course, is that – after TNT offering all the games as part of their package – subscribers now face forking out for something they previously got as part of that. Nobody wants to pay extra for anything these days and might understandably be wary of adding another fee to their list. The late nature of the deal, too, did not inspire huge confidence.

Talking to Maurits Schön of OneFootball, there is very much the feeling that this is a case of trying to do things differently. A conventional deal could often leave fans paying a lot of money to see very few games of their favourite team whereas this way you can see 100% of their matches. He sees it as the natural progression of the work they have been doing with Serie A for some time rather than a last gasp arrangement.

“We are a platform that works with over 100 clubs, leagues and federations and we are happy to distribute their content to fans globally,” he told the Rigore! podcast. “That starts with editorial content like news pieces but also goes to press conferences, footage from training – video content that is not media rights related like the match footage or even live matches.

“Then a few years back we started with streaming – we have established ourselves as a distribution channel for clubs, leagues and federations,” he explained. “So for us this was less a last minute deal than an ongoing conversation that we have been having with our partners – and Serie A is a very strong partner of ours – that we have had over the last few months.”

After TNT reduced its coverage to two games per round, Serie A retained the rights to stream its matches. Schön said OneFootball can use its tech and user base of fans to help the league “monetise” its content in the UK. If the days for big money broadcaster deals are over, could this be a way forward for others?

“Streaming is already the present of many sports,” said the OneFootball supremo. “What will increase is the variation of channels and the variation of platforms that rights holders will use to address every possible segment of the market. Media rights bundled with other offerings is a more pricey product for the consumer who might be interested in a certain sport in a certain country.”

Fans, understandably, want to know if the deal will last more than one season or if they will have to turn to yet another platform next summer. It sounds like that it will depend on the success of the current arrangement.

“I think we are testing the waters at the moment and this is a partnership that we had before and that we will have in the future and we will see how it develops,” said Schön. “We are very hopeful that we can bring something to the table and we can bring Serie A fans and the league together because we have a platform where we naturally have many of those fans already.”

There have been concerns that matches have to be watched live with no option to view an entire game at a later date. There are no immediate plans to make that possible but it appears to be very much an offer that will evolve according to the feedback they receive.

“The idea is basically that Serie A lives on OneFootball – we will have highlights, we will have additional shoulder content,” explained Schön. “So the league will make sure this is perceived as their own channel –  just distributed by us. The variety of options will develop over time and I think the league will also then make sure to offer everything that fans and people demand. We have a lot of flexibility on how we meet all those needs.”

Some have doubted the level of demand for the Italian game in the UK but Schön is excited about the season to come. “I think there is a lot of potential in this league and it is a pleasure for us to make that entire experience accessible,” he said. “There is a lot to like about Italian football and there are a lot of great games and great players and also a different style of play. I would say that everyone who loves football and who loves the tactical aspects of the game should watch it.”

He has also urged the tifosi to let his organisation know how they would like to see the service improved. “We have very engaged users, we have a feedback culture, we are happy to learn from our users,” he said. “I think that is one big advantage of this model – that we can improve the product together with Serie A over time. I think that is a major advantage compared to old broadcasting or cable. I think this can be a very interactive partnership also with our user base and will hopefully bring the best of Italian football to you as fans.”

All those intentions will be music to the ears of followers of the league in the UK. It sounds as if their voices could be used to help model how coverage is delivered this season and beyond. The proof of the tiramisù, of course, will be in the eating.

You can listen to the entire interview with Maurits Schӧn at the Rigore! podcast.