Europe
Features
Yandex to build sports portfolio after winning NHL rights battle in Russia
Russian internet company Yandex will look to expand its sports-rights portfolio after acquiring exclusive rights to the National Hockey League in Russia amid fierce competition.
RWC rights in Italy down by two thirds as Rai strikes late deal
Italian public broadcaster Rai acquired the exclusive rights to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan at a two-thirds reduction in value from the previous edition after a long stand-off between the company’s internal departments.
Snap election drives Greek top-tier football rights shift to Nova from ERT
Pay-television broadcaster Nova has taken advantage of a sharp reduction in sports rights funding at Greek public broadcaster ERT, following a snap election earlier this year, to acquire a pair of key properties and become Greek top-tier football’s main broadcast partner.
IMG ends Strive experiment in Sweden with LaLiga, Serie A, MLS sale to Bonnier
The IMG agency has sealed a deal for rights to Spain’s LaLiga, Italy’s Serie A and the US’ Major League Soccer in Sweden with media group Bonnier. The deal signals the end of its OTT experiment in the country as it had previously been broadcasting the properties on its Strive streaming platform.
French women’s top-tier handball carve-out may have damaged coverage prospects
The recent carve out of Ligue Féminine de Handball (LFH) rights from the wider package of French handball federation (FFHB) rights may have damaged the LFH’s prospects for coverage after beIN failed to renew their long-standing partnership.
Great Britain Rugby League Lions’ tour to be distributed by RDA
The RDA agency has reached an agreement to distribute rights for the Great Britain Rugby League Lions’ upcoming tour.
Solheim Cup tees off on Sky with production on a par with Ryder Cup
UK pay-TV broadcaster Sky today began its live coverage in earnest from women’s golf’s Solheim Cup, offering up a production output that matches the levels provided at the men’s 2018 Ryder Cup.
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Belgian Pro League: TV rights tender to launch by November
The Belgian Pro League is looking to kick off its domestic broadcast rights auction “at the end of October or early November” despite still lacking consensus from clubs over the collective sale of the…
TV4 adds sports content to streaming service
Swedish commercial broadcaster TV4 has announced plans to add sports coverage to its TV4 Play streaming service
Digiturk negotiates near-20 per cent dollar fee reduction for Turkish Süper Lig rights
Turkish pay-television broadcaster Digiturk will pay nearly a fifth less per season in dollar terms for exclusive global rights to the country’s top-tier domestic football league, following protracted negotiations with the Turkish Football Federation and the league’s clubs.
BBC pays blockbuster fee for Women’s Euro 2021 UK rights as market surges
The BBC has paid around ten-times more for the UK rights to the 2021 Uefa Women’s Euro than commercial broadcaster Channel 4 paid for the 2017 tournament, SportBusiness Media understands.
Discovery sees off aggressive incumbent bid to gain WTA rights in Russia
US media group Discovery saw off an aggressive bid from incumbent Match TV to take over exclusive rights in Russia to Women’s Tennis Association events from 2020, completing its tennis set in the country.
Amazon pays premium in French Open domestic rights play
Internet giant Amazon will pay more than public-service broadcaster France Télévisions for a substantially smaller package of rights to the French Open’s 2021-23 cycle.
DAZN positions itself for domestic tender with Bundesliga sublicense deal
Streaming service DAZN’s two-season Bundesliga sublicensing deal with US media group Discovery has strengthened its position in Germany and Austria ahead of the league’s upcoming domestic tender.
Nova pays premium to secure Euroleague Basketball rights in tumultuous Greek market
Greek pay-television broadcaster Nova has paid a premium to renew its exclusive rights to EuroLeague and EuroCup basketball in Greece and Cyprus, SportBusiness Media understands, marking a second consecutive fee increase for the European tournament’s rights in the territory.
Nent lands another blow on Nordic public broadcasters with ISU deal
Nordic Entertainment (Nent) Group has once again blown away competition from Nordic public-service broadcasters for winter sports content, acquiring exclusive rights to International Skating Union events from the Infront agency.
GolfTV threat drives Sky extension of Open rights in UK & Ireland
UK pay-television broadcaster Sky’s extension of its rights deal for The Open is an attempt to shore up its dominant position in golf in the UK and Ireland against the threat of GolfTV, the dedicated channel run by the Discovery-PGA Tour joint venture, SportBusiness Media understands.
TV2 targets tennis in Denmark with ATP, Wimbledon deals
Danish commercial broadcaster TV2 has targeted tennis rights, with the additions of the ATP Tour and Wimbledon to its portfolio over the last two months complementing its WTA rights.
LaLiga FTA constraints in UK, Ireland may stymie tender interest
Match-choice restrictions placed by Spain’s LaLiga on the free-to-air package in its UK and Ireland rights tenders for the 2019-22 cycle may limit interest from broadcasters, according to industry experts spoken to by SportBusiness Media.
BT benefits from incumbent Sky’s OTT concerns in WWE grab
Pay-television broadcaster BT Sport took advantage of Sky’s long-running concerns over wrestling body WWE’s OTT service to grab WWE rights in the UK and Ireland from its rival at a steep discount, SportBusiness Media understands.
Saran leverages rights-holder’s trust, lack of competition to secure EPL rights in Turkey
Turkish agency Saran has negotiated a price reduction for rights to the English Premier League for the 2019-22 cycle, SportBusiness Media understands, the first time it has achieved this since acquiring the property at the turn of the decade.
Digiturk flexes muscles in attempt to renegotiate Turkish Süper Lig deal
BeIN-owned Turkish broadcaster Digiturk has presented the Turkish Football Federation with a proposal to drastically alter its deal for rights to the Turkish Süper Lig after a depreciation in local currency caused costs to balloon, SportBusiness Media understands.
Danish Superliga secures income rise after forced tender
Having been forced into an open tender by the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority, the Danish Superliga has secured a modest increase in its domestic media-rights income despite a lack of competition.
Sky-Mediaset Champions League deal a gamble as Rai fights for option to renew
Sky Italia is taking a calculated gamble in agreeing a two-year sublicensing deal with Mediaset for Uefa Champions League rights. Sky’s legal dispute with Italian public-service broadcaster Rai over the latter's option to renew the rights has not yet been resolved. If Rai eventually wins, it could sue Sky for damages.