Analysis
Sky Italia’s ‘act of love’ Serie A wake-up call
Italian pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia said this week that it was “concerned and frustrated” that a continuous flow of negative developments in Serie A was undermining the credibility of the league.
Uefa was prepared to play waiting game in Spain
Weak competition for Europa League rights in Spain forced Uefa into lengthy negotiations with the beIN Media Group and the Mediapro agency, who were bidding jointly. A deal was eventually agreed last week.
Top 14 final sale reaps dividends
The domestic media rights value of French rugby union’s Top 14 final increased strongly in new deals agreed last week.
MP & Silva wins ‘fierce’ agency tussle for NFL rights across Europe
MP & Silva’s deal to distribute National Football League rights in Europe is a “landmark” deal for the agency, according to senior vice president Daniel Cohen.
Sportsman gambles on Bundesliga to keep up with rivals
The Sportsman Media Group’s desire to remain on an equal footing with its rivals helped the German Bundesliga to a massive increase in the value of its betting rights in a deal agreed late last month.
MLS gives Eurosport first pan-European football league
Pan-regional sports broadcaster Eurosport is thought to be paying a strong rights fee for Major League Soccer rights across Europe, excluding the UK, in its four-year deal agreed last week.
Bernie secures latest fee increase with free/pay rights split
Formula One Management earned a significant increase in the value of its rights in Australia last month by allowing a pay-television broadcaster to acquire rights to the championship for the first time in the country.
Open renewal maintains IMG’s US sports portfolio
The IMG Events & Media agency maintained its commitment to US sports properties in renewing its deal to advise on the sale of global US Open tennis rights last week.
Suspension of football gives Nova leverage with league
Pay-television broadcaster Nova is in advanced negotiations with the Greek Superleague to extend its domestic football deal for two more seasons, TV Sports Markets understands.
Why Pac-12 agreed LeTV deal in China
Last month’s deal between the Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12) and Chinese internet firm LeTV is evidence that China’s internet platforms are providing sports bodies with exposure which has a value beyond rights fees.
Ten wants MotoGP to itself
Pay-television network Ten Sports’s desire for exclusivity pushed up the value of MotoGP rights in the Indian subcontinent in last month’s deal.
Did Fifa get the best possible deal from the US market?
Court ruling opens Germany to UFC
A broadcast deal in Germany – which is close to being agreed – is an important staging post for mixed martial arts promoter Ultimate Fighting Championship in its assault on Europe.
Pro D2 on course for big increase
Canal Plus and Eurosport are battling it out over the pay-television rights to French rugby union’s Pro D2, with the existing rights fee set to treble.
Rugby World Cup gives Sky fillip for tough campaign
Sky Italia’s acquisition last week of the rights to this year’s Rugby World Cup will give the broadcaster a second high-profile, low-cost sports event around which it can build a marketing campaign in late summer.
Barça extols collective selling benefits and switches rights to Telefónica
Spanish club Barcelona said this week that the planned return to collective selling would help La Liga to eventually match or exceed the media-rights income of Italy’s Serie A, but that it would require the country’s pay-television industry to be much stronger.
ESPN surprises NBC with ice hockey score
US pay-television network ESPN beat commercial networks NBC and Fox to win rights to the revived World Cup of Hockey in 2016.
US funding plus local knowledge helps Esporte Interativo
The financial might of major US network Turner Broadcasting System, allied to strong local market knowledge, will enable Brazilian sports broadcaster Esporte Interativo to be both competitive in the rights market and distinctive from rivals in its programming, the broadcaster believes.