Sky and Fox snap up football as beIN Sports hovers
Rupert Murdoch’s two Italian pay-television businesses – the Sky Italia satellite platform and the Fox Sports premium channel – reinforced their football portfolios this week as rival operator Mediaset inched closer to a deal to sell a stake in its Mediaset Premium platform to Qatari broadcaster beIN Sports.
Baseball dispute shows limits of adviser role
The breakdown of the agreement between the MP & Silva agency and the Chinese Professional Baseball League shows one of the main limitations of advisory deals compared to traditional buy-out deals, insiders say.
IMG goes back to its roots to find formula for global content markets
IMG said this week that its new merged events and media division would create efficiencies and provide opportunities that had been stymied by the compartmentalised management structure operated by private equity owners Forstmann Little prior to the sale of the agency late last year.
Reluctant sharing deal does not presage wider truce
Last week’s Serie A rights-sharing deal between Italian pay-television operators Mediaset Premium and Sky Italia does not appear to presage a wider truce between the two companies, including a sharing of Uefa Champions League rights.
Michel Masquelier, chairman, and Ioris Francini, president, IMG Events & Media
Interview with Michel Masquelier and Ioris Francini, chairman and president of IMG Events & Media respectively, on the WME/Silver Lake takeover of IMG and the creation of a new IMG division covering events and media.
The return of the telcos gathers pace
Deutsche Telekom’s surprise deal for exclusive domestic basketball rights in Germany last week is small in value but potentially rich in significance.
News Corp’s last-minute World Cup clips deal
News Corp’s deal for non-exclusive digital clips rights in Vietnam to the Fifa World Cup in Brazil was finalised about two hours before the opening match of the tournament kicked off.
UK and Germany confirm trend of low World Cup fee increases
The World Cup rights deals signed by Fifa in the UK and Germany just before the current tournament kicked off confirmed the difficulties the governing body has had in securing decent fee increases in both markets and in Europe generally.
William Field, founder, Prospero
Interview with William Field, founder of Prospero, the media and technology consultancy, on the return of telcos to the sports-rights market.
IMG rugby snatch confirmed
IMG Media’s acquisition of the international rights to European club rugby was due to be confirmed late this week. The deal was reported exclusively in the last issue of TV Sports Markets.