Analysis
F1 records one of worst TV seasons
Motorsport’s Formula 1 had one of its worst television-viewing seasons in several of the sport’s top markets
Top teams defy falls in Premier League viewing
Six Premier League teams, including Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, increased their live-coverage television viewing
BSkyB mops up England’s tours
Pay-television operator British Sky Broadcasting, at present locked in talks for the rights to domestic English Test cricket, is mopping up the rights for the England team’s overseas tours
Fierce French fight for rugby world cup rights
French public-service broadcaster France Télévisions, commercial broadcaster TF1 and pay-broadcaster Canal Plus look set to compete for the rights for rugby union’s World Cups in 2007 and 2011
Top TV Sports programmes in Europe
April’s two Formula 1 races were the most featured events of the month in the TV Sports Markets monthly survey of European viewing.
ESPN to launch ppv boxing to fill ice-hockey gap
US cable broadcaster ESPN has revived its interest in boxing almost a year after it seemed set to quit the sport.
World cup skiing wins €5m rights deal with Rai
Italian public-service broadcaster Rai is close to finalising a deal with Italian agency Media Partners to acquire the rights for skiing’s alpine world cup.
Top triathlon loses 1m viewers
UK television viewing of triathlon’s annual world championships fell by over a million viewers this year.
IMG and Team on rugby shortlist
The International Rugby Board has whittled down the five agencies it invited to bid for the commercial rights for rugby union’s 2007 World Cup to two.
Israeli TV finally signs football and basketball deals
JCS Sports, which owns Israel’s two sports channels, has acquired the rights for top Israeli football and basketball matches
Forget TV fees, for now, hockey wants coverage
The revival of the India-Pakistan hockey test series after an interval of five years has attracted high television interest.
Big three French clubs pose threat to league deal
Three of biggest clubs are threatening to undermine the tender process with demands for a bigger share of television rights fees.
Rugby league cup final viewing falls for third year
Rugby league’s Challenge Cup final, in which St Helens beat Wigan 32-16, drew 1.66 million viewers and a 25-per-cent audience share to BBC1.
Where Norway’s football money goes
Norges Fotballforbund, the national football association, agreed a four-year deal for the live and highlights rights for all major football competitions in Norwegian football
How one country took a risk on Premier League
Telesport hopes that its acquisition of English Premier League football will be the key content it has been striving for since it first tried to launch four years ago.
Basketball calls it a day with Rai
The rocky marriage of Italian club basketball and state broadcaster Rai is to end in divorce.
Sportfive wins top Italian clubs, but must fight for rest
The Sportfive agency looks to be in a strong position to take the international rights of the rest of the Serie A clubs.
Rai Trade quits foreign rights sales
Rai Trade, commercial arm of state broadcaster Rai, is to quit the selling of sports rights on the international market.