Analysis
Uefa nets increase in Africa with Euro 2016 buyout deal
TV Media Sport added football’s European Championship to its free-to-air portfolio in sub-Saharan Africa, securing a buyout deal with Uefa.
ATP closes lucrative new deals in China and India
The ATP World Tour earned hugely improved terms in new deals covering China and India this month.
MLS back on Fox after long talks
Fox Sports Africa has restarted its coverage of Major League Soccer in sub-Saharan Africa after year-long negotiations with IMG and Soccer United Marketing.
NRK renews key skiing rights
Norwegian public-service broadcaster NRK renewed two vital skiing rights deals last month, agreeing to pay decent increases for both.
English hosting pushes Rugby World Cup global media rights revenue up by 50%
Holding this year’s Rugby World Cup in England helped World Rugby earn an increase of about 47 per cent in total media rights revenue compared to the 2011 tournament.
IMG: joint venture is aggressive but realistic
The IMG Events & Media agency said this week the income projections behind its newly-created 10-season joint venture with basketball’s Euroleague were “aggressive, but realistic”.
IQiyi makes sport play with prestige tennis and golf
Chinese video streaming platform iQiyi made an aggressive move into sport this month, acquiring digital rights in major deals with the PGA Tour and the Women’s Tennis Association.
Football League seeks advice for international rights
England’s Football League is in the process of selecting a consultant to advise on the sale of its international media rights, TV Sports Markets understands.
PSBs can buy volume and choice, but only one feed available
Many of Europe’s public-service broadcasters are likely to provide a similar amount of linear coverage of the Olympic Games from 2018 compared to previous editions, despite having lost out on the rights to Discovery Communications.
Strong bidding helps Six Nations double fee in Irish market
Aggressive bidding from free-to-air broadcasters in Ireland helped the Six Nations Committee double its media rights fee in the territory last week.
NBA secures increases in latest international deals
The National Basketball Association has finalised a string of deals outside its domestic US market in recent weeks, securing large increases in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and India, and a modest uplift in Poland.
Le Sports beats rivals to carry AFC flame in China
The Asian Football Confederation will enjoy a huge increase in the value of its rights in China in its new deal with Le Sports.
MP & Silva takes the ball back in second round of APAC deals
MP & Silva’s clean sweep of markets in the Premier League’s second group of Asia-Pacific rights sales has reasserted the agency’s position in the region.
Watching Brief (Vol.113) Special Focus: Rugby Union – Rugby World Cup
John Manning, research anaylst for SportBusiness Intelligence examines Rugby World Cup television audiences in the major rugby union markets.
BeIN renews Premier League and snatches rights from main Middle-Eastern rival ADM
BeIN Media Group this week finalised its acquisition of English Premier League rights in the Middle East and North Africa, and is close to taking two properties – Uefa European Qualifiers and Wimbledon – from its main local rival, Abu Dhabi Media.
Copa partner will face race against time
The contract for the unsold commercial rights to next year’s centenary edition of the Copa América represents an opportunity for sports-rights agencies to build relationships with the two governing bodies of football in the Americas.
Olympic bid defeat reveals fault lines in EBU solidarity
The European Broadcasting Union’s chances of winning the rights to the Olympic Games from 2018 to 2024 were undermined by two internal splits, TV Sports Markets understands.
Mediapro looks to YouTube to plug distribution gaps
Spanish agency Mediapro has agreed deals with video-sharing website YouTube to plug gaps in the distribution of the international rights to the Copa del Rey and the beIN Sports pay-television channels in Spain.