Australia

Al Jazeera-owned pay-television broadcaster beIN Sport is set to launch in the Australian market, according to the Australian.

Australian pay-television horse racing channel TVN is planning to move from pay-television operator Foxtel to the country’s free-to-air digital platform in a bid to extend its reach, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Australia’s National Rugby League is engaged in a legal dispute with pay-television operator Fox Sports and commercial broadcaster Nine over coverage plans for the build-up games to Sunday’s Grand Final, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Fox loses more sport to the networks in Australia

Ten picks up Champions League T20 rights for a song

Pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports has acquired the exclusive Australian rights to football’s Spanish Liga and Italian Serie A for the next two seasons.

Cricket Australia has underwritten commercial broadcaster Nine’s production costs by A$800,000 (€560,000/$747,000) in order to ensure domestic one-day competition the Ryobi Cup is afforded free-to-air television coverage, according to The Age.

Australia’s National Rugby League has conceded that it and broadcast partners, pay-television operator Fox Sports and commercial broadcaster Nine, need to rethink their scheduling strategy after recording substantial ratings drops this season.

The award of the 2020 Olympic Games to Tokyo has led to all three Australian commercial broadcasters re-entering the race for the country’s next Olympic rights package, according to The Australian newspaper.

Media investment management company GroupM has launched a full-service Australian sports rights and sponsorship division that will commence operations with Football Federation Australia as a foundational client.

Australian commercial broadcaster Network Ten has acquired rights for the 2013 Champions League Twenty20 cricket competition.

Basketball Australia has agreed a new rights deal with public-service broadcaster the ABC encompassing the Women’s National Basketball League and the women’s and men’s national teams.

The Australian Rugby Union, rugby union’s governing body in Australia, is seeking a new rights deal with a free-to-air broadcaster in a bid to increase revenues and raise interest in the sport, according to the Australian newspaper.

An Irish football fan living in Australia has bought the Australian broadcast rights to his country’s Fifa World Cup qualifier against Sweden in a bid to ensure the expat population do not miss the crucial game, according to the Reuters news agency.

The Australian Sports Commission has said a government-funded digital television sports channel dedicated to the country’s lower-profile sports could be launched as soon as 2014, according to the Australian Financial Review.

Australian commercial broadcaster Nine has agreed a deal with the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for the media rights to the next two Ashes series played in England, according to the Australian Financial Review newspaper.

Australian pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports has acquired exclusive rights for the US Open tennis tournament.