Analysis
Canal Plus takes on Viasat with new Danish driver
Canal Plus is to challenge the dominance of rival Viasat in the Danish market with the launch of a new basic-tier channel showing premium sports content.
Bundesliga sales on track as agencies battle tough markets
DFL Sports Enterprises has almost completed its international rights sales for the league for the 2009-10 to 2011-12 period and will hit its predicted target.
Ligue 1 returns to Asia for phase two
Canal Plus Events are to begin a second phase of international rights sales, targeting more deals in Asia and increased free-to-air coverage in Africa.
RTÉ standing tall as Irish Grand Slam breaks TV records
Ireland’s first Grand Slam victory since 1948 helped rugby union Six Nations broadcasters in Ireland and the UK post record television audiences for the 2009 championship.
Sony stumps up again after losing court referral
Sony was this week forced to renegotiate its deal for Twenty20 cricket’s IPL, after losing a court case in which it claimed that the original deal had been illegally terminated.
TV Rights Deals 1: Bundesliga, La Liga, Uefa club deals and more
Football: The Sportsman Media Group, which is distributing the rights for the German Bundesliga in 16 markets across Southern Europe and Asia, has agreed deals in 13 territories
TV Rights Deals 2: DirectTV’s NFL deal, IPL, IOC’s China deal and more
American Football: US digital satellite platform DirecTV extended its deal for the rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket package in a four-year deal, from 2011 to 2014, with the National Football League
Row over UK events means rocky start for Diamond League
Two UK athletics meetings are at the centre of a brewing dispute over the international television rights for the the new Diamond League series.
FASTRACK
A Formula One television rights deal in the Middle East looks set to go down to the wire, with just two weeks left until the season-opener.
Serie A value hangs on EC ruling
An EC decision on the stringent conditions under which Sky Italia is forced to do business will go a long way to determining how the media rights for Serie A football are sold in the next round of deals and how much they are worth.
Telecino fights for matching right as Copa goes to TVE
Telecinco is suing the Grupo Santo Monica agency in an effort to extend its rights for the domestic football cup tournament, the Copa del Rey.
Double Dutch Uefa talks draw blank
Team has been forced to close down the free-to-air sales process in the Netherlands for Uefa Champions League rights, after an extremely poor first-round response from broadcasters.
WSG seeks damages after bitter divorce from Asian Tour
Golf’s Asian Tour is engaged in a legal row with its long-standing agency partner, WSG after the two sides failed to extend their relationship for the 2009 season.
TV2 Sport safe for now as internet football wars begin
TV2 said that its acquisition of the last remaining package of domestic Tippeliga football rights has secured the future of its premium sports channel, TV2 Sport, for the next two years.
ESPN left gasping by Fox’s ‘slam-dunk’ on Champions League
ESPN’s loss of Uefa Champions League rights in Latin America is a major blow for the broadcaster following a massive first-round bid from rival Fox Sports.
Nova pays up after On Telecom rings off
Nova Sports this week picked up the pay-television rights for the Champions League after an initial deal with IPTV company On Telecoms fell victim to the financial crisis.
TV Rights Deals 1: Football: World Cup, Champions League, Copa del Rey
Football: Pan-African pay-broadcaster Supersport acquired the sub-Saharan pay-television rights for all Fifa events in 2009 and 2010, including the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the 2009 Confederations…
TV Rights Deals 2: Athletics, baseball, basketball, cycling, golf and more
Athletics: The IMG agency acquired the international television rights for the newly-created Diamond League in a five-year deal, 2010 to 2014, guaranteeing around $6m (€4.7m) a year.