Africa

The Lagardère Unlimited division of media conglomerate Lagardère has announced that Daniel Franck will lead Lagardère Unlimited’s media and production operations across Europe and Africa with immediate effect.

Egyptian top-tier Premier League football club Al-Ahly has sold its media rights to the Future Media and Telecommunications Company.

Egyptian Premier League club Al-Ahly has said it is committed to brokering its own broadcast rights deal, but has denied that it has threatened to withdraw from the country’s top-tier football division amid a dispute over the league’s rights deal with state-run broadcaster Egyptian Television Network.

Pay-television broadcaster the Abu Dhabi Media Company has acquired rights for national football team qualifying matches ahead of the Uefa Euro 2016 and Fifa 2018 World Cup tournaments.

The MP & Silva agency has acquired exclusive rights for the Formula One motor-racing championship in the Middle East and North Africa, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania.

Egyptian Television Network, the state-run broadcaster in Egypt, has acquired rights for the upcoming 2013-14 season of the country’s top-tier football Premier League.

Pay-television operator OSN has agreed a carriage deal for combat sports pay-television channel Fight Network in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

South African public-service broadcaster the SABC has appointed Bessie Tugwana as its acting head of sport.

Lagardère Unlimited, the sports marketing division of media conglomerate Lagardère, has announced that Shaila-Ann Rao is leaving her role as the chief executive of the Sportfive International agency.

The Optima Sports Management International agency has announced its acquisition of free-to-air rights in Nigeria to the 2014 World Cup in a deal with Fifa, world football’s governing body.

The Fox International Channels broadcast subsidiary of media company 21st Century Fox has appointed Kelly Butler as senior vice-president of pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports in Europe and Africa, according to the Broadband TV News website.

SuperSport grabs all Champions League rights to check the growth of StarTimes in Africa

BT pays massive Champions League premium to seize ground from Sky in the UK pay-television market, but even bigger battles lie ahead.

Pay-television sports broadcaster SuperSport, which operates in sub-Saharan Africa, has launched a new 24-hour cricket channel.

The CAA Eleven agency has launched invitations to tender for the media rights in the Middle East, North Africa and Northern Sub-Saharan Africa region to European qualifiers for the Uefa Euro 2016 and 2018 Fifa World Cup national team football tournaments.

South African public-service broadcaster the SABC has agreed a deal with the Cricket South Africa governing body to provide live coverage of all national team matches during the forthcoming 2013-14 home international season.