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143,000 viewers watched Australian driver Mark Weber make a podium finish according to OzTam ratings, roughly twice the channel’s previous best audience.

One was launched on March 26 and is available to more than 62 per cent of the 7.2 million Australian television households who have access to digital television, according to Network Ten chief executive Grant Blackley.

ITV’s audience peaked at 9.5 million during the second half, when Liverpool went ahead 4-3.

ITV’s previous highest audience this season was the 7.2 million that watched Inter Milan-Manchester United back in February.

It is understood that the talks are now on hold until chief executive Richard Scudamore returns from holiday. The absence of any awards thus far suggests that there were no knock-out first round offers.

Infront agreed the deal with SportA, ARD/ZDF’s in-house rights arm. ARD/ZDF have an existing deal in place covering last year’s European Championship and next year’s event in Austria.

 

SBS has signed on for a further four years, from June 2010 to the 2014 World Cup, in a deal which covers national team and under-21 home matches, including both competitive and friendly games. SBS is also expected to pick up the rights for away matches.

For more details see the next issue of TV Sports Markets.

The deal includes coverage of the 2010 and 2012 Ryder Cups and the World Golf Championship.

Viasat’s share of TV2 Sport’s operating profit was SEK48 million (€4.4 million) in 2008, compared to a loss of SEK184 million in 2007, following the channel’s launch in April that year.

From 2009-10 to 2011-12, HRT will show live first-choice matches on Wednesdays, including exclusive coverage of the Champions League final and the Uefa Super Cup, and Wednesday night highlights.

Nova won the rights for first-choice matches on Tuesdays, plus Tuesday night highlights. HRT presently has Champions League rights exclusively in a deal worth close to €1 million a season.

Globo is paying R$40m a year under the new deal, a 33-per-cent increase on the R$30m it pays at present. The deal covers exclusive free-to-air, pay-television, pay-per-view and internet rights.

The LPGA was hoping to secure a large time-buy or revenue-share deal with one of the national networks, with sponsors of LPGA tournaments contributing to the cost.

The two broadcasters have also agreed a joint-deal for the ATP Tennis Masters, also for the three-year period from 2009 to 2011, that includes the 500 and 250 series events.

Under current UK listed events legislation, the Six Nations is a category B event, guaranteeing free-to-air highlights for matches involving the home nations. This legislation, according to Feehan, causes a lack of competition as it is not possible for a pay-television broadcaster to have exclusive rights to the event which impacts the rights fee.

TVP will show live and highlights coverage of all 31 matches across its free-to-air and pay channels TVP 1, TVP 2, TVP SPORT and TVP HD, on its website www.tvp.pl and on mobile. TVP will also broadcast programming to promote the tournament in the run-up to its kick-off.

The funds are being raised following a review of its business model after the broadcaster failed to retain both its English Premier League rights packages from the 2010-11 season onwards, having lost one of its current live rights packages to BSkyB earlier this year.

Canal Plus events currently holds the domestic broadcast rights for the league until the end of the 2010-11 season. Pan-European broadcaster Eurosport holds the international rights for the Top 14 and second-tier Pro D2 league until the end of this season.

Under the terms of the deal, Taj Television will sublicense its entire portfolio of international cricket rights for the territory of Australia, including all international matches in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the West Indies, and Zimbabwe, as well as the Hong Kong Sixes to Fox Sports.

The multi-year deal includes the rights to sell free-to-air, satellite, and cable television rights, as well as internet, mobile and IPTV rights in all territories except Japan. It is the first international rights deal for the competition.

It is the third deal for the MP & Silva Tokyo office, which opened four months ago.

The court endorsed the tribunal’s view that Orange was acting against the consumer interest in obliging subscribers that wanted to subscribe to the channel to also sign on to its triple-play offer. Rival telecoms operators SFR and Free brought the case against Orange.