Balkans

Nova Broadcasting Group, part of multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group, will launch a new HD sports channel in Bulgaria next month.

Serbian public-service broadcaster RTS has acquired rights to the 2015 European Games.

SPTV, a free-to-air specialist sports channel owned by the Croatian Olympic Committee, has secured rights in the country for the 2015 edition of the European Games multi-sports event in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The aggressiveness of telco Telekom Srbija was a driving factor in increases in the value of the rights to the Uefa Champions League and Europa League in the Balkans.

The Asset OgilvyEntertainment agency has secured rights deals in Greece, Albania, Cyprus and FYR Macedonia for the Formula One motor-racing world championship.

Nova Broadcasting Group, part of multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group, has agreed a deal with the National Basketball Association to show the North American basketball league in Bulgaria.

Leading A Group clubs CSKA Sofia and Levski Sofia have threatened to boycott the top division of Bulgarian football unless a new model is drawn up for the distribution of television revenue.

Media company Football Pro Media has acquired domestic rights for the top tier of Bulgarian football, the A PFG.

Media rights income for Euroleague basketball is likely to be about the same in the 2014-15 season as it was last season, partly due to difficulties in Russia, one of the sport’s key markets.

Pay-television broadcaster SportKlub has extended a media rights deal in the Balkans for the Euroleague Basketball club tournament.

European satellite and cable television channel the Fight Channel has expanded its rights deal with mixed martial arts organisation the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Pay-television broadcaster SportKlub has acquired rights for the inaugural International Premier Tennis League in the Balkans.

The Bulgarian top-tier football league suffered a rights-fee cut in its new deal with Nova Broadcasting Group. The drop is part of a longer-term decline in the value of the league’s domestic media rights caused largely by the country’s wider economic difficulties.

Nova Broadcasting Group, part of multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group, has acquired rights for the Bulgarian football’s top-tier Championship, Cup and Super Cup.

Commercial and pay-television broadcaster BTV has extended a rights deal in Bulgaria for the Uefa Champions League club football tournament.

Sport1’s deal last week for the rights to the National Hockey League means the sports broadcaster now has exclusive rights to each of the four top North American sports leagues.