DAZN buys Bellator and WBSS rights but retains flexibility
DAZN has agreed two more combat sports deals since its joint venture with Matchroom Boxing, but all three deals contain clauses that would allow the Perform-owned streaming platform to quickly shift its content strategy
Facebook and Turner force UCL rights fee down 40% in Brazil
Facebook and Esporte Interativo are set to strike a deal for Uefa Champions League rights in Brazil at a much-reduced price
Free-to-air Telemundo deal will help with Copa sponsorship sales
Telemundo’s deal for Spanish-language rights to the 2019 Copa América ensures most matches will be shown free-to-air in the US – a key consideration for MP & Silva and Conmebol ahead of sponsorship sales around the tournament
Light at the end of the tunnel for CSA as T20 league takes shape
Cricket South Africa has finally delivered a workable concept for a new domestic T20 competition via a joint venture with pay-television broadcaster SuperSport.
Eleven Sports’ seizure of top rights in Portugal stuns Sport TV
Sport TV’s attempt to use its dominant position in the Portuguese market to lower media-rights fees has backfired, paving the way for Eleven to become the latest in a long line of competitors.
Türk Telekom takes Turkish basketball with surprise bid
Türk Telekom has agreed a shock deal for rights to the country’s Basketbol Süper Ligi, unseating beIN – the league’s preferred partner – with a huge bid.
ESPN takes UFC exclusively as Fox opts for WWE rights instead
Doubling up with ESPN will earn the Ultimate Fighting Championship $300m (€258m) per year from media-rights sales from 2019 to 2023 – a good result given the absence of aggressive bidding from incumbent Fox.
Fox and ESPN retain rights to Uefa club competitions in LatAm
Uefa’s decision to stick with its incumbent broadcast partners has delivered a modest increase in the value of its club competition rights in Latin America.
Uefa earns modest increase for club competitions in Canada
Uefa has earned a decent increase in the value of its club competition rights in Canada via a deal with Perform-owned streaming platform DAZN.
ECB carves out Caribbean rights, agrees direct deal with ESPN
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has sold its rights separately in the Caribbean for the first time, earning a strong increase on their previous allocated value in the region.