Europe

French free-to-air sports broadcaster L'Équipe has extended its deal with Uefa, European club football’s governing body, for rights to the European Under-19 Championship.

The UK government has given the green light to a potential bidding contest between media companies 21st Century Fox and Comcast for pay-television broadcaster Sky.

Lega Serie A, the governing body of the top division of Italian club football, has today (Tuesday) reaffirmed its decision to scrap its rights agreement with Mediapro after the Spanish agency yesterday said it had presented financial guarantees for the contract.

International sports broadcaster Eurosport has agreed a rights deal in Spain with the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

The English Premier League has reportedly secured a new domestic rights partner in the form of an undisclosed online operator, with telco BT securing the other remaining package left on the table.

BHRT, the public-service broadcaster in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has confirmed a rights agreement for the 2018 Fifa World Cup.

Greek pay-television broadcaster Cosmote has extended its rights deal to national team properties operated by Uefa, European football’s governing body.

MUTV, the in-house television channel of English Premier League football club Manchester United, has acquired exclusive rights in the UK and Ireland to the Belgian national team’s three warm-up matches ahead of the 2018 Fifa World Cup.

Spanish agency Mediapro has said it has no intention of sublicensing rights to Ligue 1 and will instead rely on striking carriage deals for its planned new channel for the top division of French club football, while telco Altice has unveiled a new look to its sports media offering in France.

International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports has signed its first partner to support its entry into the Portuguese market after agreeing a deal with telco NOWO.

Norwegian commercial and pay-television broadcaster TV2 has said it will launch a new sports channel in August.

Ukrainian football fans will be able to watch the 2018 Fifa World Cup after Inter Media Group acquired rights to the tournament from public-service broadcaster UA:PBC.

Spanish agency Mediapro has said it will form a dedicated football channel open to all “premium TV operators” in France after securing the lion’s share of rights to Ligue 1, the top tier of domestic club football.

The Ligue de Football Professionnel has secured a 60 per cent increase in value for the domestic rights to Ligue 1 through deals with Spanish agency Mediapro and pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports, with the agreements ending the status of pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus as the long-time home of the top-tier competition.

International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports has today (Tuesday) confirmed Portugal as its 10th market with the acquisition of rights to club football competitions the Uefa Champions League and Spain’s LaLiga.