Analysis

The National Basketball Association’s next round of domestic rights deals seems certain to look very different to those of the last two decades, as streaming technology and changing user behaviour drive change in the US media market at an unprecedented pace.

While maintaining its linear dominance, the NFL is increasingly focusing attention on NFL+, its direct-to-consumer streaming service which has just completed its second regular season.

Despite systemic weakness in the Pakistani economy, and chronic instability at the Pakistan Cricket Board, the Pakistan Super League T20 competition is on a sustainable path after securing strong increases in domestic media rights fees for the next two seasons.  

Amazon will show Wimbledon on Prime Video for the first time in any market after it stepped in to acquire rights in Germany and Austria when Sky exercised a break clause in its contract.

Formula E is banking on a close working relationship with motorsports experts Red Bull to fuel interest in the electric racing series in Germany and overturn what it hopes is a short-term drop in media rights fee in its biggest market.

The proposed merger between Disney Star and Reliance is being driven to a great extent by the wish to avoid a repeat of the 2023 IPL, in which the two entities undercut each other, resulting in reduced advertising revenues.

Amazon has found that premium sports properties drive acquisition of new customers to its Amazon Prime premium service but are not necessary for their retention.

The financial plight of Recast has shone a light not only on the flaws of the streaming platform’s erstwhile business, but also the continuing difficulties of monetising second- and third-tier sports content.

UK pay-television broadcaster Sky’s acquisition of US college football and basketball rights from ESPN will provide good exposure for American university sport through to the end of the 2024-25 season, but little in the way of remuneration.

Nine Entertainment and Foxtel renewed their England and Wales Cricket Board media rights in Australia from 2024 to 2031 at increased fees after extracting strong value from the ECB’s properties in recent years.

The English Premier League’s first domestic media rights auction for almost six years has produced an overall uplift of just over three per cent, prompting sighs of relief across offices in Paddington, Isleworth and Chiswick.

Online retail giant Amazon “blew the competition out of the park,” to quote one source, in order to secure International Cricket Council rights for the next four years in Australia.

The NBA has secured a slight uplift for its media rights in the UK thanks to its domestic broadcast partner, Warner Bros. Discovery, stepping up in the absence of competition.

Sky Deutschland opted to secure exclusive pay-television rights in the DACH region for MotoGP in order to complement its motorsport portfolio after the withdrawal of ServusTV from the linear broadcast space in Germany.

Pay-television broadcaster Sky will pay a slightly decreased fee for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia in 2025, owing to a lack of strong competition for the rights.

Pay-television broadcaster Sky extended its rights to the US PGA Championship in the UK and Ireland for three further years at a slight increase on the previous average fee.