SportBusiness Media staff

The Fox International Channels broadcast subsidiary of media company 21st Century Fox has rebranded the Setanta Africa channels under the Fox Sports banner following last year’s deal to acquire the pay-television sports broadcaster, which operates in the sub-Saharan region of the continent.

US television broadcasting company Sinclair Broadcast Group has said it plans to launch a new college sports network to be broadcast on television stations it owns.

UK pay-television broadcaster BT Sport has acquired rights to English Premier League football club Liverpool’s pre-season friendlies.

Lega Serie A, Italy’s top football league, will enter into private negotiations with companies seeking to secure the two domestic media rights packages that it has failed to sell in two formal tender procedures.

US sports broadcaster ESPN has expanded its media rights agreement with the Sun Belt Conference collegiate sports organisation.

Pay-television broadcaster Star India has asked for the start of the Indian Super League franchise football tournament to be delayed to avoid a clash with the Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament.

The CCTV 5 sports channel, which is operated by state broadcaster CCTV, has acquired media rights for the Trophée des Champions, the annual football match between the winners of the French Ligue 1 and Coupe de France tournaments.

Italian pay-television operator Sky Italia has acquired the rights to the qualification matches of all European national teams for Uefa Euro 2016 and the 2018 Fifa World Cup.

The Carolina Panthers NFL American football franchise has sealed a local media rights deal with regional cable-television broadcaster Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.

German public-service broadcaster ARD has struck a rights deal with the DBB, basketball’s governing body in the country, to show a series of Germany national men’s team games this summer.