Eastern Europe

The Fox International Channels broadcast division of media company 21st Century Fox is challenging rival pay-television broadcasters Canal Plus and Polsat in the sales process for domestic rights for the Ekstraklasa, the top division of football in Poland, according to the RP news website.

US media group Scripps Networks Interactive has agreed to buy a majority stake in Polish media company TVN for €584m ($653.5m).

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.

Polish pay-television channel Motowizja has secured live rights to the Formula E motor racing championship.

AMC Networks International - Central Europe, the central European division of US entertainment company AMC Networks, has agreed a three-year extension to its rights to European club football competition the Uefa Champions League in Hungary.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts series has entered into a broadcast partnership with Czech commercial and pay-television broadcaster Nova.

Polish pay-television operator Polsat has acquired rights to the 2015 European Games multi-sport event.

The International Tennis Federation has signed new multi-year broadcast rights deals in Australia, Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic ahead of the start of the Davis Cup national team tournament’s World Group first round this weekend.

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.

Polish pay-television operator Polsat has acquired rights for a variety of European Volleyball Confederation properties, including the 2015 and 2017 men’s and women’s European Championships.

Telecommunications company O2 has acquired the broadcast rights for the next three seasons of the Uefa Champions League club football competition in the Czech Republic.

Organisers of Baku’s 2015 European Games have secured rights deals in Spain, Portugal, Estonia, Latvia and Slovenia for the inaugural edition of the multi-sport event.

The value of domestic broadcast rights to Ukraine Premier League football could take a big hit in the forthcoming round of deals due to the economic crisis brought on by the political conflict in the country over the last year.

The World Rally Championship has agreed new rights deals in the UK and Poland ahead of the start of the 2015 season of the motor racing series tomorrow (Thursday).

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