Europe

Czech public-service broadcaster Česká Televize has secured a package of rights to competitions organised by Uefa, football’s European governing body.

US media company Discovery Communications has extended its deal for exclusive Italian rights to the Six Nations national team rugby union tournament.

International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports has acquired rights in Belgium to football national team qualifiers for the Uefa Euro 2020 and Fifa 2022 World Cup tournaments, as well as the inaugural Uefa Nations League.

French pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports has renewed rights to LaLiga, the top division of football in Spain, according to French daily newspaper L’Équipe.

UK free-to-air digital television channel FreeSports has agreed to broadcast live coverage of the British Basketball League.

Lega Serie A, the organising body of the top division of Italian club football, has said it will enter into private negotiations with bidders for its domestic broadcast rights after offers opened yesterday (Monday) failed to meet the minimum revenue target of €1.05bn ($1.26bn) per season.

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has provisionally found that media company 21st Century Fox’s proposed takeover of Sky is not in the public interest, scuppering a second attempt by Rupert Murdoch to seize full control of the European pay-television broadcaster.

The IMG agency has agreed a multi-year extension to its global rights distribution contract for Swiss road cycling showpiece the Tour de Romandie.

The International Bank of Qatar has denied reports linking it to the ongoing domestic rights-sales process in Italy for Serie A, the top division of football in the country.

UK pay-television broadcaster Sky has agreed a deal to show live coverage of rugby league’s upcoming World Club Challenge match.

Uefa increased the value of Champions League media rights in Belgium by about 31 per cent last month, while the Europa League grew in value by about 19 per cent.

Italian media group Mediaset said this week it expected to make a healthy profit on its acquisition of 2018 Fifa World Cup rights by showing all matches free-to-air.

Italy’s Lega Serie A is hoping to earn €1.05bn ($1.26bn) per season for its domestic live rights in this month’s tender process. To hit that figure, or even come close to it, the league will need to do something it has failed to do in previous auctions: secure an offer which meets its valuation of its OTT rights.

Uefa has secured an increase of about 33 per cent from Dutch telco Ziggo for pay-television Champions League rights, but is yet to agree a deal for its free-to-air rights in the Netherlands.

The value of Formula One media rights in Germany will fall from 2018 onward following a flat renewal with RTL and the decision to not sell pay-television rights.

Increased exclusivity encouraged telco Telefónica to maintain its fee to renew Formula One media rights in Spain this month despite a dearth of competition.