Eastern Europe

Eleven Sports Network, the new media platform backed by co-founder of the MP & Silva agency Andrea Radrizzani, has confirmed it will launch in Poland in August.

Polish pay-television operator NC Plus has agreed a deal to extend its rights partnership with the Ekstraklasa, the top division of football in the country, according to multiple reports.

World Touring Car Championship promoter Eurosport Events has agreed a broadcast partnership for the motor racing series in Slovakia with media group Central European Media Enterprises (CME).

Polish public-service broadcaster TVP has acquired rights for the 2015 Copa America national team football tournament.

The Ekstraklasa, the top division of football in Poland, has set a deadline of tomorrow (Wednesday) for final bids from the four parties in contention for its pay-television rights.

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

The award of the domestic live rights to Poland’s top football league, the Ekstraklasa, is likely to come down to a straight shootout between the incumbent rights-holder, pay-television platform NC Plus, and Eleven, the new channel operated by Andrea Radrizzani.

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.

O2 Sport, a yet-to-be-launched subscription sports channel operated by telecommunications company O2 in the Czech Republic, has acquired rights for the Czech Liga, the top tier of football in the country.

Baku 2015 has secured broadcasting agreements in Ukraine, Georgia, Norway and Israel for the inaugural European Games.

Polish internet company Onet and the Polish division of media company Ringier Axel Springer have agreed four-year extensions to their digital rights packages for the Ekstraklasa, the country’s top football division.

Rights for the Glory Sports International kickboxing league have been awarded to pan-European sports broadcaster Eurosport, South Korean commercial broadcaster KBS, pan-African pay-television operator StarTimes and pay-television broadcaster Digi Sport in Hungary and Romania.

O2 Sport, the yet-to-be-launched subscription sports channel operated by telecommunications company O2 in the Czech Republic, has struck a rights deal with combat sports agency Fighting Spirit.

The Polish football league, the Ekstraklasa, is to launch a league channel in a joint venture with its media-rights adviser MP & Silva after offers from broadcasters fell below expectations, TV Sports Markets understands.

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.

Polish public-service broadcaster TVP has acquired rights to next month’s boxing bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, according to Super Express.

Pay-television broadcaster Extreme Sports Channel (ESC) has acquired rights in Poland for the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts series.

European club basketball tournament the Euroleague will test out the use of micro-cameras on playing kits tonight (Friday) when Real Madrid takes on Zalgiris Kaunas in a play-off game in Madrid, Spain.