Analysis
NCAA and IMG weigh up unbundling women’s basketball
The NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship – considered one of the most undervalued properties in American sports – is focused on maximising the property’s value from the 2024-25 season, which opens the door to possibly unbundling the rights.
EFL takes big leap forward with Sky, but uplift lower than advertised
The English Football League’s new deal with Sky has produced an excellent result for the league and a significant increase in its guaranteed media rights income, but SportBusiness Media understands the real-terms uplift is well below the level publicly claimed by the league.
BeIN uplift for Wimbledon in Mena reflects strong relationship
BeIN Sports is paying an uplift of around 50 per cent on the value of its previous fee for Wimbledon rights in the Middle East and North Africa, SportBusiness Media has learned.
Premier League profits from more live matches in Cyprus
The Premier League increased its rights fee in Cyprus after allowing broadcasters to use English-language commentary and show all 380 matches per season, SportBusiness Media has learned.
IPL digital ad revenues up almost 3x on last year: Viacom18’s Jayaraj
Anil Jayaraj, Viacom18’s chief executive officer for sports, has told SportBusiness Media that domestic digital advertising revenues from the 2023 Indian Premier League were almost three times higher than last year.
European Tour and DAZN aim for new audiences in DACH
The European Tour has maintained its multi-broadcaster approach in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, substituting its digital rights deal with Discovery for an agreement with DAZN.
Sky Italia doubles down on Uefa club comps ahead of Serie A negotiations
Sky Italia doubled its fee for Uefa Champions League rights to ensure it held Uefa club competition rights in the next cycle, putting it in a strong position ahead of the current Serie A domestic media rights sales process.
US Open fee down again in Sky renewal
Sky Sports agreed a three-year extension with the USGA, along with its agency Pitch International, for rights to the US Open after the parties came to a late agreement over the fee.
IMG faces competition as Saudi Pro League expands search for global rights partner
The Saudi Pro League has approached a small number of sports marketing agencies and asked them to bid for a one-year contract to distribute its international rights, SportBusiness Media understands.
PGA Tour opts for peace dividend as door opens to PIF control
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf had been in bitter conflict until yesterday's announcement. SportBusiness Media examines the key reasons for the about-turn.
Reasons for optimism despite uncertainty, says Sky Deutschland’s Classen
Sky Deutschland executive vice-president Charly Classen says he is motivated by the challenge of navigating the pay-television broadcaster’s sports division through an “uncertain” operating environment.
Netball World Cup labours to late Foxtel and SBS deals
Foxtel and SBS secured rights to next month's Netball World Cup amid an absence of competition primarily due to the time difference between Australia and South Africa, where the tournament will be held.
Tight turnaround may hinder LatAm quartet’s collective sales ploy
A quartet of South American football associations have banded together to sell media rights to their home 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, in what experts regard as a step in the right direction for the region’s international football rights market.
Serie A fishing for clues with eight-model domestic rights tender
Lega Serie A’s invitation to tender for domestic live media rights from the 2024-25 season contains multiple innovations as it aims to hit its minimum target of €1bn per season.
Nine fee rockets in Uefa club competitions renewal
Nine Entertainment, parent company of Stan Sport, renewed its rights in Australia to Uefa club competitions for a further three seasons after agreeing to pay a substantial uplift on the current fee.
DAZN opts to boost UWCL final exposure in EBU deal
DAZN sublicensed free-to-air rights to this year's Uefa Women’s Champions League final to the European Broadcasting Union in 12 markets to ensure wider exposure for the property, despite its existing agreement with YouTube for free-to-air coverage of the competition.
New CAF tenders open door to return of agency gatekeeper model
The concurrent invitations to tender issued by the Confederation of African Football earlier this month represent the most comprehensive set of rights made available since the high-profile termination of CAF’s $1bn (€930m), 12-year contract with Lagardère Sports.
IPL linear rights strategy ‘vindicated’, says Disney Star’s Gupta
Record viewership for the IPL on Disney Star’s channels points to the enduring strength of linear, Sanjog Gupta tells SportBusiness Media.