Ufa’s IPTL target ‘achievable’
The International Premier Tennis League is thought to have set the Ufa Sports agency a target for global media rights sales for this year’s inaugural event in order to trigger a two-year extension, for 2015 and 2016.
Three-way battle in Hong Kong gives Uefa big uplift
Pay-television platform i-Cable paid a significant increase to retain rights amid stiff competition for the Uefa Champions League in Hong Kong.
ECB archive gives Sunset+Vine taste for the rights game
UK sports production and media company Sunset+Vine will look for “more and more” opportunities for rights acquisitions following its four-year archive rights deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
ESPN and Fox see off beIN Sports and Telefónica in Latin America
Fox Sports Latin America and ESPN International were forced to increase their fee for the Uefa Champions League and Europa League pay-television rights in Latin America this month to see off aggressive rival bids from Qatari-owned broadcaster beIN Sports and Spanish telco Telefónica.
Sony Six picks up new tennis event
Indian pay-television operator Sony Six is understood to have paid only a nominal sum to acquire the rights in the Indian subcontinent to the inaugural Champions Tennis League, the franchise-based tournament founded by former Indian player Vijay Amritraj.
Sky New Zealand raises fee to lock in Kiwis for six years
Pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand has paid a significantly increased fee to hold on to New Zealand’s domestic cricket rights, facing one rival bidder and the threat of new market entrants.
Fina seals long-term Brazil deal with eye on Rio Olympics
Growing anticipation for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro helped Fina, the global governing body of aquatic sports, to seal an increase in the value of its Brazilian rights in an eight-year deal with pay-television broadcaster Globosat.
Mediapro close to rights monopoly as Telefónica plays a waiting game
The Mediapro agency has acquired the domestic and international media rights to 39 of the 42 clubs from the Primera Liga and Segunda Liga, the top two divisions of Spanish club football, in one season-deals for the 2015-16 season.
Sony faced little competition for CPL
Indian pay-television channel Sony Six is thought to have faced no competition when agreeing a one-year extension to its rights deal for the Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 cricket competition.
Delay request is not down to clash
Pay-television broadcaster Star India asked for a delay to the start of the Indian Super League because of internal issues with the franchise football tournament, not, as widely reported, to avoid a clash with the Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament.