Telecom Italia agrees pay-TV content deal with Mediaset: sources

People walk past a Telecom Italia phone booth in Rome August 28, 2014. REUTERS/Max Rossi

MILAN (Reuters) - Italian phone group Telecom Italia has reached an agreement with Mediaset to sell the broadcaster's pay-TV content to its own clients, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Confirming a report in Italian business daily Il Sole 24 Ore, the sources said the deal could be announced soon. Telecom Italia and Mediaset, which is controlled by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, could not be immediately reached for comment. The deal with Mediaset, which follows a similar agreement with the Italian unit of European pay-TV group Sky , is part of Telecom Italia's strategy to sell broadband connections and help pay for costly investments to upgrade its network. Telecom Italia will also offer TV series and movies from Netflix to its clients as part of a deal with the U.S. Internet television group. (Reporting by Danilo Masoni; editing by Agnieszka Flak)