Richard Welbirg

Spanish public-service broadcaster TVE surprised the market with deals for English FA Cup and Club World Cup rights this month.

Sony Pictures Networks India last month picked up rights to the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament after pay-television broadcaster Neo Sports refused an option to extend its deal.

The English Premier League’s new media-rights deal in China is one of the most valuable ever signed in the country.

Aggressive Chinese OTT operator LeSports has cash-flow problems, resulting in delays to payments for many of its deals.

GolTV’s accusation of bribery against Fox Sports Latin America – made in a Florida court late last month – has cast light on one of the most secretive deals in world football.

Commercial broadcaster Nine will pay between A$3.5m (€2.4m/$2.7m) and A$4m for free-to-air rights to the Australian national team’s remaining 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Infront Sports & Media secured the Badminton World Federation’s global commercial rights for eight years after completing a blockbuster deal last week.

Increasing the number of live Premiership Rugby matches broadcast had an “immediate and tangible” impact on its international distribution and income, according to the league’s commercial director Dominic Hayes.

The British Basketball League’s six-season deal with the Perform Group last month marks the completion of the league’s commercial revamp and sets a clear course for its future.

The English Premier League has launched an early tender in China in order to reap the benefits of the country’s buoyant media-rights market.

Channel 4 is expected to pay a small increase to extend its deal with the International Paralympic Committee to cover the 2018 and 2020 Games.