Italy court scraps fine against Mediaset in TV soccer rights case

(Adds sources on more fines annulled, competition authority comment)

ROME, Dec (Shanghai: 600875.SS - news) 23 (Reuters) - An Italian court has ruled in favour of Mediaset (LSE: 0NE1.L - news) in a case involving TV soccer rights, scrapping a fine of 51.4 million euros ($54 million) imposed on the broadcaster earlier this year, a court document showed on Friday.

In April Italy's competition watchdog fined Mediaset and Sky (Amsterdam: BK8.AS - news) Italia, a unit of Sky Plc (Frankfurt: 893517 - news) , for violating competition laws in the 2014 sale of football rights for 2015-2018.

Sources close to the matter said the court had also annulled fines of 4 million euros imposed on Sky Italia and 9 million euros on soccer rights firm Infront.

Italy's competition watchdog plans to appeal the decision on Friday by the Lazio region's administrative court, a spokesman for the antitrust authority said.

($1 = 0.9577 euros) (Reporting by Alberto Sisto and Elvira Pollina,)