Analysis
Mediaset’s early DTT launch could hit Sky hard
A Mediaset plan to launch its digital-terrestrial pay-per-view football service next month, nine months ahead of schedule, could be a serious blow to pay-television platform Sky Italia
New cycling tour looks to join elite and expand TV
SweetSpot, a sports marketing and events company, beat two contenders to win the right to set up cycling’s new Tour of Britain.
TF1 rights deal for national team may be scrapped
French commercial broadcaster TF1 and the French Football Federation could be forced to scrap a controversial one-year extension to their deal for the rights for French football internationals.
Formula 1 finally takes off in Spain
Spanish commercial broadcaster Telecinco’s investment in Formula 1 rights is paying handsome dividends.
Champ car series needs a good year. So far, so good
The newly-owned and rebranded US motor racing series Champ Car made a decent start to the season in its first two races.
Turkish football set to gain from TV rights battle
Turkey’s top football league, the Super Lig, could get a significant increase in rights fees from its next domestic television rights deal which goes out to tender.
EBU rules: Athens and Euro 2004
EBU broadcasters in each country must give non-EBU broadcasters the possibility of buying live rights each day of the Athens Olympics.
EBU: Why we haven’t done deals
The European Broadcasting Union’s television sublicensing rules for the Athens Olympics appear to be having little effect.
World Cup tender split into three
Fifa’s division of the television rights for the 2010 World Cup into three packages was welcomed by industry analysts
EBU in Dentsu tie-up, but is its bid big enough?
The European Broadcasting Union has teamed up with Japanese agency Dentsu to submit a bid for the world-wide television rights for football’s 2008 European Championship
Klitschko rights deal leads to brawl by angry broadcasters
German broadcaster ARD has bought the German television rights for the next five fights of heavyweight boxers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko
TV income faces tax threat
A landmark investigation by the Swedish tax authority into whether television-rights income should be subject to tax could have major financial implications
EBU rules for selling on rights are not working
Commercial broadcasters have questioned the effectiveness of the rights sublicensing scheme drawn up to placate the European Commission by the EBU.
Polsat in TV talks with Springer, as Murdoch waits
Zygmunt Solorz, owner of Polish broadcasting company Polsat Group, is understood to be in talks about selling a 33-per-cent stake in the company.
Will Octagon carry on bidding? It says Yes
The major restructuring at Octagon is a consequence of the financial difficulties Octagon got into with its now-sold motorsport division.
IMG ‘has long needed to raise cash’
There will be no lack of suitors for the IMG/TWI agency.
Sportfive will be more unified once Darmon leaves
The departure of chairman and co-founder Jean-Claude Darmon from the Sportfive agency is thought likely to lead to the proper integration of the businesses.
Infront tension over need for rights
The Infront agency will need to re-invent itself, according to sports marketing executives.