Balkans

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.

Middle East market could be set to heat up again as Abu Dhabi Media lands European Qualifiers

The MP & Silva agency has acquired exclusive rights for the Formula One motor-racing championship in the Middle East and North Africa, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania.

Macedonian free-to-air broadcaster Alfa TV has agreed a two-year deal with EHF Marketing, the commercial arm of the European Handball Federation, for the broadcast rights to the Champions League and Women’s Champions League club competitions.

The IEC in Sports agency has announced rights deals for the 2013 World Fly Fishing Championship with pay-television broadcasters in Croatia, Israel and Chile.

Nova Broadcasting Group, part of multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group, has launched a new high definition sports channel in Bulgaria, according to the Broadband TV News website.