Africa

Pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports has agreed a sublicence deal with state-owned broadcaster Dubai Sports Channels to broadcast the 2014-15 season of football’s German Bundesliga on an exclusive basis in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The CAA Eleven agency completed a host of new deals for Uefa European Qualifiers rights at the end of July, with strong results in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports opened its coverage of football’s English Premier League with a restricted service in the United Arab Emirates at the weekend as it continues to battle against piracy issues.

Pay-television broadcaster SuperSport, which operates in sub-Saharan Africa, will show coverage of the MultiChoice Diski Challenge, a new football competition for South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) academy teams.

Pay-television broadcaster SuperSport, which operates in sub-Saharan Africa, has acquired rights for qualifying matches ahead of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations national football team tournament.

South Africa national team football matches will be shown on free-to-air television in the country, according to pay-television broadcaster Siyaya TV, which has agreed a six-year rights deal with the South African Football Association (SAFA).

Algerian state broadcaster ENTV has retained rights for Ligue 1, the country’s top division of football.

The South African Football Association’s new media rights deal with pay-television broadcaster Siyaya TV would appear to be in doubt after public-service broadcaster the SABC questioned the validity of reports that the agreement had been finalised.

New pay-television broadcaster Siyaya TV has acquired media rights in South Africa for the country’s national football team matches.

The 3Vision Distribution agency has secured a deal to distribute rights for the 2014 Cosafa Cup, which features national football teams from sub-Saharan Africa.

OSN has acquired the exclusive pay-television broadcast rights in the Middle East and North Africa region to events organised by the WWE wrestling organisation.

Digital-terrestrial operator StarTimes has launched a new sports channel, StarTimes Sport 2, in South Africa.

The Fox International Channels broadcast subsidiary of media company 21st Century Fox has rebranded the Setanta Africa channels under the Fox Sports banner following last year’s deal to acquire the pay-television sports broadcaster, which operates in the sub-Saharan region of the continent.

The IMG Media agency has promoted Adam Kelly to head of sales for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

South African public-service broadcaster the SABC is facing a shortfall of more than R500m (€34.4m/$46.7m) in its sports coverage in the 2014-15 financial year, according to acting chief executive Tian Olivier.

The Communications Authority of Kenya has proposed new legislation that would force pay-television broadcasters to share ‘exclusive’ content.