Analysis
Emtek picks up Uefa Champions League rights in Indonesia after FMA deal collapse
Indonesian media company Elang Mahkota Teknologi (Emtek) has agreed a two-season deal with Uefa for Champions League and Europa League rights, which became available after the collapse of the rights-holder’s deal with the Futbal Momentum Asia agency.
Uefa to market Champions League under club pressure, with fewer tools in its box
Uefa will go to market later this year with the rights to the Champions League and Europa League under pressure from Europe’s top clubs to at least maintain the kind of growth it enjoyed in the current cycle. But there are reasons why that will be a massive challenge.
Amazon pays premium in French Open domestic rights play
Internet giant Amazon will pay more than public-service broadcaster France Télévisions for a substantially smaller package of rights to the French Open’s 2021-23 cycle.
China’s Tencent sees off Youku to keep NBA digital rights in record deal
Chinese social media giant Tencent saw off competition from rival streaming player Youku Tudou to retain the NBA’s digital rights in the country for the 2020-25 cycle at a record-breaking fee, underscoring the strong growth in China’s streaming market in recent years.
Bundesliga readies for international sales push
The German Bundesliga’s international sales and marketing arm, Bundesliga International, is set for a busy 12 months of media-rights sales as the league approaches the conclusion of deals across the Americas, Asia, Middle East and North Africa.
Uefa national-team rights take knock in sub-Saharan Africa as StarTimes profits from Kwesé demise
Pan-African pay-television broadcaster StarTimes paid a cut-price sum to acquire rights to a host of Uefa national-team events following the demise of rival broadcaster Kwesé TV’s pay-television arm, SportBusiness Media understands.
DAZN positions itself for domestic tender with Bundesliga sublicense deal
Streaming service DAZN’s two-season Bundesliga sublicensing deal with US media group Discovery has strengthened its position in Germany and Austria ahead of the league’s upcoming domestic tender.
Fox squeeze opens door to GolfTV push for The Open in Asia-Pacific
Fox Sports Asia’s desire to reduce its spend on rights to The Open in Asia-Pacific opened the door for OTT platform GolfTV to grab non-exclusive rights alongside the pay-television broadcaster.
Nova pays premium to secure Euroleague Basketball rights in tumultuous Greek market
Greek pay-television broadcaster Nova has paid a premium to renew its exclusive rights to EuroLeague and EuroCup basketball in Greece and Cyprus, SportBusiness Media understands, marking a second consecutive fee increase for the European tournament’s rights in the territory.
Nent lands another blow on Nordic public broadcasters with ISU deal
Nordic Entertainment (Nent) Group has once again blown away competition from Nordic public-service broadcasters for winter sports content, acquiring exclusive rights to International Skating Union events from the Infront agency.
Weak pound post-Brexit vote boosts total Premier League rights income
The English Premier League was a benefactor of sterling’s decline in the wake of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union in June 2016.
Ambitious JTBC shakes Korean FTA broadcasters, delivers strong Olympics fee for IOC
South Korean pay-television broadcaster JTBC’s recent acquisition of Olympics Games rights has jolted the country’s sluggish sports media rights market and delivered an unexpectedly strong fee increase for the International Olympic Committee.
LaLiga secures Mena increase in beIN renewal despite widespread piracy
The value of broadcast rights to Spanish football’s LaLiga has risen modestly in the Middle East and North Africa, SportBusiness Media understands, with incumbent Qatar-based pay-TV broadcaster beIN Sports agreeing to extend the relationship through to the end of the 2023-24 season.
GolfTV threat drives Sky extension of Open rights in UK & Ireland
UK pay-television broadcaster Sky’s extension of its rights deal for The Open is an attempt to shore up its dominant position in golf in the UK and Ireland against the threat of GolfTV, the dedicated channel run by the Discovery-PGA Tour joint venture, SportBusiness Media understands.
TV2 targets tennis in Denmark with ATP, Wimbledon deals
Danish commercial broadcaster TV2 has targeted tennis rights, with the additions of the ATP Tour and Wimbledon to its portfolio over the last two months complementing its WTA rights.
Premier League softens stance as joint venture acquires rights in the Caribbean
The English Premier League effectively softened its opposition to joint bids in its 2019-20 to 2021-22 rights sale in the Caribbean, agreeing a deal with a company specifically set up for the acquisition by telco Cable & Wireless Communications and mobile operator Digicel, the two main players in the region.
LaLiga FTA constraints in UK, Ireland may stymie tender interest
Match-choice restrictions placed by Spain’s LaLiga on the free-to-air package in its UK and Ireland rights tenders for the 2019-22 cycle may limit interest from broadcasters, according to industry experts spoken to by SportBusiness Media.
BT benefits from incumbent Sky’s OTT concerns in WWE grab
Pay-television broadcaster BT Sport took advantage of Sky’s long-running concerns over wrestling body WWE’s OTT service to grab WWE rights in the UK and Ireland from its rival at a steep discount, SportBusiness Media understands.