Australia

Football Federation Australia (FFA), the sport’s national governing body, is reportedly considering curtailing its rights deals with pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports and free-to-air broadcaster SBS ahead of schedule.

Asian Cup organisers have said they are expecting record television audiences for the 2015 edition of the national team football showpiece, which kicks off in Australia on Friday.

Cycling Australia has announced a two-year partnership with commercial broadcaster Nine and pay-television operator Fox Sports.

Australian pay-television horse racing broadcasters TVN and Sky Racing have struck a temporary truce to their dispute over the sport’s rights in the states of New South Wales and Victoria, with commercial broadcaster Seven reportedly weighing up a lucrative bid for the contract.

Australian pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports and commercial broadcaster Ten have acquired rights to the 2015 Netball World Cup national team event, which will take place in the country next year.

The AFL Commission, the organisation responsible for negotiating the next cycle of domestic rights to the Australian Football League (AFL), the top division of Aussie rules in the country, has postponed talks until next year due to uncertainty surrounding the future of commercial broadcaster Ten, a likely bidder in the process.

Australian commercial broadcaster Ten has said it has received non-binding, conditional investment proposals from a “number of parties”.

German-based pay-television broadcaster Motorvision TV has broadened its global reach by agreeing carriage deals in Australia, Cyprus, Portugal, Angola and Mozambique.

Australian public-service broadcaster the ABC has said it will end its state-based and women’s sports coverage as part of budget cuts.

Australian commercial broadcaster Seven has struck a free-to-air rights deal for the Victorian Football League (VFL) Aussie rules competition.

Football Federation Australia (FFA), the sport’s national governing body, has defended its stance on continuing to play A-League top-tier fixtures during breaks for international matches by saying that it wants to protect its broadcast rights income.

Foxtel chief executive Richard Freudenstein has denied that Australia’s anti-siphoning regulations would become redundant if the pay-television operator acquires commercial broadcaster Ten in a joint deal with pay-television broadcaster Discovery Communications.

US media company Time Warner has approached Australian commercial broadcaster Ten about a A$680m (€474.1m/$591.8m) takeover, according to the Australian Financial Review newspaper.

Australian pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports is set to conclude an extension to its rights deal with the Australian Rugby Union in the next fortnight, according to the Australian Financial Review newspaper.

Australian commercial broadcaster Seven has acquired the rights to the inaugural Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, the last professional event the Australian cycling great will contest.

A new television channel offering coverage of Australian sports properties, and targeted at the Asian market, will launch on November 1.