Europe
Features
UK value down for Sri Lanka Cricket as Sky reels in spending
A lack of competition, Sky’s reduced appetite for international cricket and match delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have driven down the value of Sri Lanka Cricket’s rights in the UK.
ATP secures healthy uplift in Greece in Cosmote renewal
The ATP has secured a strong fee increase in its latest renewal with Greek pay-television broadcaster Cosmote.
Swiss Super League avoids domestic rights fee slump with schedule change
The Swiss Super League has agreed to increase the number of match slots from 2021-22 in its new domestic rights deal with telco Swisscom, preventing a potential dramatic dip in revenue amid an uncompetitive environment.
Cosmote holds MotoGP fee steady once more in latest renewal
Cosmote, Greece’s dominant pay-television broadcaster, has maintained a flat fee in its latest renewal of exclusive MotoGP rights.
English National League sees fee uplift in BT renewal
English football’s fifth-tier, the National League, bucked the market trend to secure an increase in its media-rights fee in its latest domestic renewal with telco BT.
NBA floats League Pass option in beIN renewal talks in France
The National Basketball Association entertained the possibility of going exclusively direct-to-consumer in France as a way of counterbalancing a lack of competition in its latest renewal with pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports, SportBusiness Media understands.
ARD, ZDF winter sports dominance keeps German ski fee flat
The value of German ski association domestic rights will stay flat once again in a renewal with ARD and ZDF as the public-service broadcasters’ winter sports dominance continues to put off competitors.
Uefa keeps club competition income steady in Portugal after tricky tender
Uefa has maintained the value of its club competitions in Portugal through renewals with pay-television broadcasters Eleven Sports and Sport TV.
NHL triples Nordic rights value in Nent renewal
The value of the National Hockey League’s rights in the Nordics will triple from 2021-22 in Nordic Entertainment (Nent) Group’s five-season renewal of the property.
Serie A’s stripped-down international rights tender puzzles agencies
Serie A’s carve out of important rights in its international rights invitation to tender for the 2021-24 cycle has surprised potential agency bidders. Agency sources say there is a premium attached to being the sole global distributor of a property, which is reflected in rights fees. This will be lost in the current process.
Swedish Hockey League secures long-term stability with strong TV4 Media renewal
The Swedish Hockey League has ensured its long-term financial security by boosting the value of its domestic rights by over a third in a renewal with TV4 Media out to 2029-30.
Lack of competition smooths way for ITV’s BTCC renewal in UK
UK commercial broadcaster ITV is not thought to have seen any competition in its latest five-year renewal of British Touring Car Championship rights.
Baltics market report, 2020
In the latest interactive monthly data report, SportBusiness Media analyses the media-rights landscape in the Baltics region, consisting of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Eleven keeps fee steady in five-season LaLiga renewal in Belgium
Eleven needed to retain LaLiga rights in Belgium to strengthen its position in carriage negotiations next year.
Uefa national-team rights value swells in Scandinavia in six-season deals
The value of Uefa’s national-team rights in Scandinavia from 2022-23 has risen sharply, with the European governing body the latest rights-holder to prosper in the region amid a push by broadcasters to seal long-term deals for premium properties.
BeIN agrees to Süper Lig fee uplift to aid clubs in 2020-21
BeIN Media-owned broadcaster Digiturk has agreed to increase its fee for Turkish Süper Lig rights for the 2020-21 season to help keep the league’s struggling clubs afloat.
TV2 pays up early to extend, expand Norwegian ice hockey coverage
Norwegian commercial and pay-television broadcaster TV2 has renegotiated and extended its deal for domestic top-tier ice hockey, increasing its rights fee from next season, while also strengthening its ties to the sport by adding all rights controlled by the national federation.
FA’s WSL carve-out pays dividends in exclusive Sky deal
The English FA is thought to have achieved a robust fee for rights to the top-tier Women’s Super League in the first domestic rights tender for the property.
Telefónica keeps F1 fee flat in three-year renewal
Spanish telco Telefónica will hold steady its per-year outlay on Formula One rights in its renewal for the 2021-23 cycle, SportBusiness Media understands.
Amazon entry cushions Champions League fee decline in Italy
Uefa has seen the value of its top-tier Champions League competition fall by a fifth in Italy for the coming 2021-24 cycle. But the drop has been cushioned by the entry of ecommerce giant Amazon, which has committed a considerable amount to acquire a package of rights.
NBA avoids dramatic fee drop with Eleven renewal in Belgium
The NBA has avoided a severe decrease in fee for its rights in Belgium despite an absence of competition, renewing with Eleven Sports Network for the 2020-23 cycle at a slight reduction compared to the previous cycle.
Infront draws closer to skiing monopoly as it enters exclusive Swiss Ski talks
Infront has edged closer to enhancing its dominance over skiing media rights, with the agency entering exclusive negotiations with the Swiss Ski Association for international rights from 2022-23, following a hotly contested tender process.
Telefónica agrees modest fee rise in NBA renewal in Spain
Spanish telco Telefónica has agreed to pay a modest per-season uplift to renew its exclusive NBA rights in Spain for the 2020-23 cycle, SportBusiness Media understands.
Summer Paralympics value holds steady in UK in Channel 4 renewal
UK commercial broadcaster Channel 4 kept its outlay flat on summer Paralympics media rights in its renewal for the Paris 2024 edition, SportBusiness Media understands.