Europe
Racing powerhouses team up to back new media company
Horse racing powerhouses Victoria Racing Club, Ascot and Goodwood Racecourses and the Breeders’ Cup have signed up as founding partners of a new media company that has launched today (Tuesday) and is designed to drive exposure for the sport across digital platforms.
Eurosport to launch 4K channel for French Open
International sports broadcaster Eurosport will launch a dedicated 4K ultra-HD channel for its coverage of this year’s French Open tennis tournament.
Culture Secretary unlikely to refer Comcast’s Sky bid
UK Culture Secretary Matt Hancock has said that he is unlikely to call for an investigation into Comcast’s bid to gazump rival media company 21st Century Fox’s takeover bid for Sky, a major sports broadcaster in Europe.
Proximus makes wide-ranging commitment to esports in Belgium
Belgian pay-television broadcaster Proximus has unveiled a major commitment to esports in the country through a three-pronged strategy incorporating media rights, the formation of new competitions and sponsorship.
Mediapro claims first as Brasileirao heads to YouTube
The Mediapro agency has struck a deal with internet company Google that will grant video-sharing platform YouTube rights to Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, the top division of Brazilian football, across 27 markets in Europe, Asia and Oceania.
Veronica extends Champions League rights
Dutch commercial broadcaster Veronica has extended a deal for free-to-air rights for football’s Uefa Champions League.
DAZN lands World Cup rights in Germany
DAZN, the OTT service operated by digital sports media company Perform, has acquired a rights package in Germany to the 2018 Fifa World Cup.
Manchester United finishes top of Premier League payment table
Manchester United received the greatest share of revenue from the English Premier League for the 2017-18 season, despite finishing as runner-up to rival Manchester City, it has been revealed.
Watching Brief (Vol.209) UK TV Audiences 30th April to 6th May
Channel 4 adds to rugby portfolio with Wales games
UK commercial broadcaster Channel 4 has bolstered its rugby union coverage by acquiring live rights to Wales’ three summer Test matches.
Bayern creates Digital & Media Lab, partners with ESPN
German Bundesliga football club Bayern Munich has formed a digital and media subsidiary in an effort to further expand its “pioneering” work in these areas, while it has also signed a content partnership with US sports broadcaster ESPN.
Sport1 retains rights to Uefa tournaments
German sports broadcaster Sport1 has renewed rights agreements for the Uefa Youth League and the Uefa Women’s Champions League club football tournaments.
F1 apologises after stuttering OTT platform launch
Formula One has apologised after viewers experienced a number of problems in trying to watch the newly-launched F1 TV OTT service at the weekend.
FreeSports picks up DTM rights in UK
UK free-to-air digital channel FreeSports has acquired rights for the DTM German Touring Car Championship.
TV3 swoops to break RTÉ grip on Uefa club rights in Ireland
European football’s governing body Uefa has today (Tuesday) signed rights deals in Ireland for its Champions League and Europa League club competitions with commercial broadcaster TV3 and public-service broadcaster RTÉ.
RDA to market Super League’s international rights
The RDA agency has been appointed as the exclusive agent for international distribution rights to the Super League, the top tier of club rugby league in England.
Eurosport delves into e-commerce with new platform
International sports broadcaster Eurosport has further diversified its offering with the launch of Eurosport Shop, its first e-commerce platform.
Premier League claims victory in piracy settlement
Ace IPTV, a platform that showed pirated content from football’s English Premier League, has been forced to liquidate after agreeing to pay £600,000 (€681,000/$812,000) for breaching the league’s copyright.