Europe

The expansion of the cross-border Pro12 rugby union competition, following the addition of two South African teams this week, has been driven by three factors: the desire to improve the competitiveness of the league, the aim of bringing its media-rights revenues closer into line with its rivals, and the availability of the Cheetahs and the Southern Kings.

Uefa has earned increases of at least 50 per cent in Finland and the Netherlands from recent sales of its national team rights.

It is thought Fox was Discovery’s only rival bidder, but the broadcaster’s limited budget for sports rights did not allow an aggressive bid. Discovery, on the other hand, was very keen on the rights

The Scottish Professional Football League earned an increase of about 18 per cent in a renewed deal with BBC Alba at the end of June

UK public-service broadcaster the BBC will show live coverage of one game from every qualifying round of the FA Cup domestic knockout football tournament, starting tomorrow (Saturday).

International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports Network has acquired rights in Belgium and Luxembourg to the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts series.

UK viewing data for the week between Monday 17th July and Sunday 23rd July, including audiences for the Open Championship and Uefa Women's European Championships.

The English Football League, which operates the three club divisions below the top-tier Premier League, has said its competitions will be broadcast into 166 countries for the forthcoming 2017-18 season as new rights partners were unveiled in a host of markets, including the US and Canada.

German media company Axel Springer has rejected reports that it is in talks to acquire sports broadcaster Sport1.

The Scottish Professional Football League has become the first national football league to sign a partnership with Dugout, a new digital media platform that is supported by a number of elite European football clubs.

The International Association of Athletics Federations has signed a multi-year agreement with the European Broadcasting Union consortium of public-service broadcasters, and ESPN Media Distribution, the rights agency division of the global sports broadcaster, for the sale and distribution of rights in Africa and Europe.

French media group Vivendi has confirmed plans to form an Italian pay-television platform in association with its Telecom Italia (TIM) and Groupe Canal subsidiaries.

OTT sports subscription service DAZN, Middle Eastern pay-television operator OSN and pay-television operator Fox Networks Group Latin America have acquired rights to the heavily-hyped crossover fight between undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor.

Internet company Amazon has secured its first major sports rights deal outside its home US market by acquiring UK rights to professional men’s tennis circuit the ATP World Tour, according to The Guardian.

UK pay-television broadcaster BT Sport has agreed a rights deal with esports company Gfinity for its Elite Series gaming competition.

German pay-television broadcaster Sportdigital and OTT sports subscription service DAZN have extended their rights deal for the Primeira Liga, the top division of Portuguese football.