Africa

Athletics

New domestic deals for two of Europe’s top five football leagues accounted for two of the three biggest television rights contracts signed in 2008.

Cricket

A multi-million dollar deal for the Asian rights for international cricket in South Africa looks likely to become another victim of the economic crisis.
Athletics

Athletics: UK public-service broad-caster the BBC extended its deal for domestic athletics events for a further six years, from 2009 to 2014
Football

Football: The Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL), representing the top two tiers of German football, Bundesliga 1 and Bundesliga 2, agreed a number of media rights deals covering the four-year period from 2009-10…

A review of South Africa’s listed-events legislation is generating concern among the country’s broadcasters and rights holders.

Football

Football: The African Union of Broadcasters signed a deal with Fifa for the English, French and Portuguese-language television and radio rights to the 2010 World Cup.

Football

A new strategic cooperation between the African Union of Broadcasters and Fifa, covering the 2010 football World Cup, will give Fifa a direct relationship with broadcasters in the region for the first time.

Rugby Union

UK pay-operator BSkyB’s new five-year deal with the Rugby Football Union was a classic smash-and-grab move that will strengthen its position in the ongoing negotiations for English rugby union’s top-tier domestic league.

Football

Globo said that it was in talks with the Team Marketing agency about the possibility of acquiring rights for European football’s Champions League competition from 2009-10 to 2011-12.

Football

Football: Pan-Scandinavian broadcaster Modern Times Group acquired the rights in Denmark, Sweden and Norway for the Uefa Champions League and Uefa Super Cup in a three-year deal from 2009-10 to 2011-12
Basketball

News in Brief

Football

Football: Spanish pay-television operator Sogecable acquired the television rights for the 2010 Fifa World Cup in a deal with Fifa worth just over €90m (£71m). 
Football

This week’s sale of African rights for French Ligue 1 domestic football provides further evidence of the continent’s booming sports rights market

Africa keeps Canal on course for Ligue 1 profits
Athletics

Olympics: The Asian Broadcasting Union agreed deals in Indonesia for the 2008 Beijing Games with free-to-air broadcaster TVRI and pay-operator Astro.

Football

Football: German commercial broadcaster RTL sublicensed a package of nine 2010 Fifa World Cup matches from pay-television operator Premiere, with an option to purchase a further nine matches.

Cycling

Football: German commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 acquired the free-to-air rights for the Uefa Champions League.

Football

Nigerian pay-broadcaster HiTV’s three-year deal for Champions League and Uefa Cup rights is its most aggressive blow yet.