Analysis
Infront set to challenge Sportfive
The Infront Sports & Media agency is understood to be the strongest challenger to the Sportfive agency for the rights to the events of the Confédération Africaine de Football, including the flagship Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament.
Mediaset forced to pay more in open tender
Spanish commercial broadcaster Mediaset was forced to increase its fee to keep the rights for Spanish national team football friendlies in a deal agreed last week following a formal tender ordered by the country’s competition regulator.
NBA value up in UK renewal
The National Basketball Association secured a decent rights-fee increase in its extension with UK pay-television broadcaster BT Sport earlier this month.
No competition for Sky PerfecTV
Uefa earned a decent increase in the value of its club tournaments in Japan this month despite the minimal level of competition in the market.
LNR ‘satisfied’ despite modest rights fee increase
The Ligue Nationale de Rugby last week secured an increase of 4.2 per cent in the value of the media rights of the top-tier domestic league, the Top 14, despite limited competition.
Political crisis means struggle ahead for clubs
The value of domestic broadcast rights to Ukraine Premier League football could take a big hit in the forthcoming round of deals due to the economic crisis brought on by the political conflict in the country over the last year.
Coliseum adds Spark in rights battle with Sky
MCS bounces back with South American football
French basic-tier broadcaster Ma Chaîne Sport has bounced back from losing several rights properties in recent months by agreeing deals for football and tennis competitions.
CBS deal shows power of the NFL
The CBS network’s renewal of its deal with the US National Football League for its Thursday Night Football package underlines the incredible power of the league in the US television market.
Red Bull takes to the beach
Red Bull Media House is understood to be in advanced talks with volleyball’s world governing body, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), to take over the rights to beach volleyball events.
Caf rights value will grow, but the seller will face some challenges
Watching Brief (Vol.94) Special Focus: International Sports Viewing 2014
Mike Kiernan, analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence, reviews the most-watched events of 2014 in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Telefónica’s entry into La Liga rights market establishes 2016 battle lines
Telefónica’s acquisition of all rights to two Primera Liga clubs, and its bid to acquire the rights to Spanish giant Barcelona, are aimed at strengthening the telco’s position ahead of changes in the domestic broadcast market.
BeIN global strategy: whatever works
BeIN Media Group’s recent rights deals in Canada, as well as negotiations in Spain and Turkey, demonstrate the company’s ability to adapt to market conditions in expanding its pay-television operation beyond its core market of the Middle East and North Africa.
Open sharing deal unlikely as Sky digs in on exclusivity
TV Sports Markets understands that a sharing arrangement for the domestic rights to golf’s British Open between a free-to-air and a pay-television broadcaster is unlikely.
Serie A renews with Rai
Italy’s Serie A agreed deals covering free-to-air highlights, internet and mobile highlights and clip rights for the next rights cycle, from 2015-16 to 2017-18, in deals agreed just before Christmas.
Sky pays more for ECB extension
UK pay-television broadcaster BSkyB is thought to be paying a small increase for the rights to English cricket in its extension with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Netball could help Ten with sale
Australian commercial network Ten last month acquired free-to-air rights to the Netball World Cup – to be hosted in Sydney this summer – for a nominal fee.