Asia

BeIN Media Group has secured full control of all its beIN Sports channels in the Asian market after today (Thursday) completing the acquisition of the remaining shares held by the MP & Silva agency.

Infront Sports & Media has said Ma Guoli will step down as chairman of the agency’s Chinese division, while David Yang, an executive with North American basketball league the NBA, has been recruited to aid growth in the market.

Italian Serie A football team Inter Milan has entered into a partnership with Chinese internet company Le Sports for carriage of its club television channel.

International pay-television sports broadcaster Eleven Sports Network has acquired live and exclusive rights in Singapore for the 2016 Badminton Asia Team Championships.

Russian media group Gazprom Media Holding and China’s state-owned Shanghai Media Group have joined forces under a strategic partnership.

The Sporty Solutionz agency has broadened the reach of the Masters Champions League for the debut season of the Twenty20 cricket competition by striking rights deals covering the Middle East, Pakistan, sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean.

Pay-television broadcaster Star India has warned that it will seek to renegotiate its rights deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) if recommendations to limit advertising during match coverage are adopted.

English Premier League club Arsenal has entered into a partnership with Total Soccer, the leading football programme on the CCTV Sports channel operated by the Chinese state broadcaster.

The Chinese digital market’s seemingly never-ending growth boosted another property last month, as the Ultimate Fighting Championship agreed a lucrative deal with PPTV Sports.

The Chinese government has intervened in the sale of media rights to the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World Cups in the country, ensuring a deal will eventually be struck with state broadcaster CCTV.

The Sporty Solutionz agency has been appointed as the host broadcaster for the 2016 India Hockey League.

International pay-television broadcaster Eleven Sports Network has furthered its reach in Asia by launching a new OTT platform in Taiwan.

The Sina Sports division of Chinese internet operator Sina has agreed a multi-year strategic partnership with Tennis Australia revolving around the Australian Open grand slam tournament.

The Sony Liv division of Sony Pictures Networks India has secured digital rights for the Australian Open grand slam tennis tournament.

Chinese internet company LeTV, which operates the Le Sports service, has acquired exclusive rights in Hong Kong for football’s 2018 Fifa World Cup, according to the South China Morning Post newspaper.

The Vietnam Pay Television Association (VNPayTV) has said it will place a limit on the price of acquiring rights in the country to the English Premier League across the three seasons of the club football competition from 2016-17 to 2018-19.