SportBusiness Media staff

Al Jazeera-owned pay-television broadcaster beIN Sport has agreed a partnership with free-to-air and pay-television broadcaster TVB to launch two sports channels in Hong Kong.

Nascar has said it will retain its current cable-television partners, ESPN and TNT, until the end of the 2014 season amid reports that the US motor-racing series’ new television deal could be brought forward to commence next year.

Italy’s RCS MediaGroup, the organiser and commercial rights-holder of the Giro d’Italia cycling race, has suspended three managers at its sports division in connection with an internal investigation into suspect transactions, according to the Reuters news agency.

The MP & Silva agency has been appointed by football’s world governing body Fifa to serve as the exclusive sales representative for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup media rights in Italy.

UK pay-television broadcaster BSkyB has extended its partnership with boxing promoter Matchroom Sport for a further two years through to the summer of 2016.

Pay-television sports broadcaster SuperSport, which operates in sub-Saharan Africa, has acquired rights for North America’s NHL ice hockey league.

UK telecommunications company BT has announced its pay-television broadcaster BT Sport will be available to view free-of-charge over a number of dates this month.

Talks have stalled over a UK free-to-air highlights deal for England’s forthcoming Ashes cricket series in Australia, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

The UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Rugby League Group of MPs has urged pay-television operator Virgin Media to agree a carriage deal with Premier Sports ahead of the pay-television broadcaster’s coverage of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

Italian pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia has agreed a deal with Lega Pro, the governing body of the Prima Divisione and Seconda Divisione, for highlights rights to the 2013-14 season of Italian club football’s third and fourth divisions.