Analysis
Why unopposed ITV paid more to renew F1 rights
Commercial broadcaster ITV was unopposed when it won the UK television rights for motorsport’s Formula 1 championship.
Dutch league expects strong mobile-rights bids
The Eredivisie expects strong competition for its mobile-telephone rights, from Dutch and international operators.
Bundesliga set for big rise in foreign TV fees
The value of German football’s Bundesliga international rights is expected to increase by up to 40 per cent next season.
Mediaset to bid against Rai for away qualifiers
Italian commercial broadcaster Mediaset is set to make another attempt to show the national football team’s matches for the first time.
Serie A’s big three increase TV fees
Sky Italia’s new deals with Italy’s top three clubs cover two seasons, 2005-06 and 2006-07.
Uefa drops Octagon from shortlist
Octagon was dealt a fresh blow last week when it was eliminated from the bidding to handle the commercial rights for football’s Uefa Champions League.
World Cup, like the Olympics, excites German TV
All the major German broadcasters are involved in a fierce battle for the television rights for football’s 2006 World Cup in host country Germany.
Grand slams get set for big cuts in TV rights fees
Tennis’s French and Australian Opens are facing the strong possibility of significant cuts in their European television rights fees.
Saban leads German rush for Olympic rights
The IOC prompted all the major media players in Germany, Europe’s largest television market, to join the fray for the country’s television rights for the 2010 and 2012 Olympics.
“A cleaned-up, healthy Germany could be the engine room of the European rights market”
Explosion of competition in Germany for the rights for football’s 2006 World Cup.
Rai puts name to EBU bid – with separate offer
EBU to patch together a “pan-European” bid for the next round of Olympic Games television rights.
Sky Italia’s surprise deals
Rupert Murdoch’s Sky Italia pay-television company astonished experienced industry observers by signing lucrative rights deals with Italy’s top three clubs.
EBU salvages Olympic bid by bringing in Eurosport cash
The European Broadcasting Union salvaged its chances of winning the pan-European television rights for the Olympic Games of 2010 and 2012.
And finally
Spanish pay-television company Sogecable has yet to decide whether to take up a three-year option to extend its financial backing for European basketball’s Euroleague.
Loss of exclusivity hit ITV harder than it expected
ITV said that it had probably underestimated the effect that losing exclusivity would have on its coverage.
Channel Four wants to cut back on Test coverage
UK commercial broadcaster Channel 4 wants to cut back its Test match cricket coverage
Rugby league dips after two-year rise
Television audiences for the final stages of English rugby league’s Super League have fallen in the UK for the first time in three years.
TV cash is key to election of Lega Calcio president
Italy’s biggest clubs, Juventus and AC Milan, enriched by individually-sold television-rights contracts, have wondered for the last few years how they could get even richer.