Analysis
OTE v Nova rivalry gives Uefa surprise boost in Greece
Uefa is set to secure a decent increase in total rights fees for its Champions League and Europa League club competitions in the Greek market.
Fox and Star keep grip on Asian Wimbledon rights
Rupert Murdoch-owned media companies Fox International Channels and Star India have maintained their grip on the Wimbledon Championships, renewing deals in East Asia and the Indian subcontinent respectively.
BeIN behind Mediapro’s Champions League deal, insiders say
Uefa earned a strong increase in its Champions League rights fee in Spain last week, with most industry insiders believing it had Qatari broadcaster beIN Media Group to thank.
India takes second spot for WWE
WWE’s five-year extension of its partnership with pay-television broadcaster Ten Sports has made the Indian subcontinent the most valuable media rights market outside the US for the wrestling series.
CyTA and PrimeTel pick up Lumiere’s football rights
The closure of Cypriot pay-television operator Lumiere TV has allowed IPTV service CyTAvision and telco PrimeTel to snap up rights to international and domestic football.
Fiba hopes clicks help rights sales
The International Basketball Federation (Fiba) expects the strong engagement with digital coverage of last month’s World Cup in Spain to aid media-rights sales for EuroBasket 2015 and other events.
NFL and Sony to develop audience
The National Football League’s deal with media company Multi Screen Media this month is seen by both parties as a long-term proposition to develop the sport in India.
Indonesian football deal will open door to Asia, Infront says
Infront Sports & Media’s deal to distribute international rights to the Indonesian Super League (ISL) is “a flag in the ground” in the market for the agency, its managing director in Asia, Ian Mathie, told TV Sports Markets.
Bundesliga’s strong sales continue in Africa and beyond
Germany’s Bundesliga is thought to be finalising a number of rights deals involving substantial increases on current deal values.
European Tour given helping hand by Ryder Cup
Global media interest in last weekend’s Ryder Cup finale confirmed the extent to which the competition has become one of sport’s blue-riband events. Few events have the power to hold the US and Europe in thrall over three days.
Liga ACB coaxes increase from cash-strapped TVE
The top basketball league in Spain, Liga ACB, earned a decent domestic rights fee increase in its renewal with public-service broadcaster TVE.
Adviser deals will work for ‘weak’ football leagues
The adviser model for football leagues operated by the Infront Sports & Media and MP & Silva agencies could be rolled out in more European markets than the three where it already exists, rights experts say. But it is unlikely to be adopted by leagues which are confident about their growth prospects.
Outgoing Diack leaves legacy of improved Dentsu deal for successor
The determination of outgoing International Association of Athletics Federations president Lamine Diack to leave a healthy legacy for whoever succeeds him in 2015 was the driving force behind the IAAF’s early extension of its global marketing and media-rights deal with Japanese advertising agency Dentsu.
NC Plus holds the key to Silva deal
In appointing the MP & Silva agency as adviser for its domestic and international media rights, in a deal based on a ‘top-up’ guarantee, the Polish football league has ostensibly rejected two other business models. But the choice was about the money rather than the model.
BT’s last-minute Fiba World Cup deal
UK pay-television broadcaster BT Sport agreed a late deal to broadcast the latter stages of the Fiba World Cup for what TV Sports Markets understands was a nominal fee.
Germany plugs in to Formula E
The Formula E motor racing series secured strong rights fees in Germany for its inaugural season, mostly through a deal with pay-television broadcaster Sky Deutschland agreed earlier this month.
TV2 looks to NBA to beef up new sports channel
Danish commercial broadcaster TV2 last week agreed a deal for National Basketball Association rights to bolster its sport content ahead of the launch of its dedicated sports channel.
MTG pays small increase for ‘magnificent’ F1
Modern Times Group said this week that the emergence of Nordic drivers in Formula One was transforming the championship into a “magnificent” media rights property.