Europe
Vivendi lining up Italian pay-television platform – report
French media group Vivendi is pursuing plans to form an Italian pay-television platform in association with its Telecom Italia and Groupe Canal subsidiaries, according to Les Echos.
Mediaset appoints former AC Milan chief ahead of Serie A rights auction
Italian media company Mediaset has appointed Adriano Galliani, a long-time senior executive at AC Milan, as president of pay-television unit Mediaset Premium as it gears up for the new domestic rights tender for Serie A, the top division of Italian club football.
Media partners renew e-Ligue 1 agreements
The Ligue de Football Professionnel, which operates the French football league, has renewed rights deals with pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports and online media company Webedia for coverage of e-Ligue 1, a nationwide esports competition.
Play Sports Group brings in advertising industry exec as MD
Cycling-focused digital sports media company Play Sports Group has appointed Wayne Brown as its managing director.
FC Rostov becomes latest Premier League club to net local rights deal
FC Rostov has become the latest Russian Premier League football club to secure a local broadcast rights deal for the 2017-18 season.
KHL extends Lagardère Sports partnership
The Lagardère Sports agency has renewed an agreement with the Kontinental Hockey League to continue distributing the international media rights for the ice hockey competition.
ARD to rival RTL for German F1 rights – report
German public-service broadcaster ARD is in talks over assuming free-to-air rights to the Formula One motor-racing championship from the 2018 season, according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Milan Review Tribunal thwarts prosecutor plans
The Milan prosecutor’s office has had a request to arrest two former senior executives at the Infront Sports & Media agency dismissed by the Milan Review Tribunal.
Wige Media to rebrand as Sporttotal
German production company Wige Media is to rebrand as Sporttotal.
EBU’s 20% ASO fee increase driven by Eurosport and ITV
Amaury Sport Organisation has increased the value of its Tour de France media rights across Europe by just under 20 per cent following a renewal with the European Broadcasting Union this month.
Uefa continues growth trend in new Finnish and Swiss deals
Uefa last month recorded huge fee increases for its Champions League and Europa League media rights in Finland and Switzerland.
ARD/ZDF return to Olympics talks amid mounting pressure
ARD and ZDF are close to a sublicensing deal with Discovery Communications for Olympic Games rights in Germany about nine months after negotiations between the parties broke down.
Lega Basket to earn nearly 80% more from new deals by 2018-19
Italy’s Lega Basket has seen the value of its domestic and international rights almost double in new deals with Rai and Discovery Communications.
Eleven renews F1 for small increase in once-potent Poland
Eleven Sports Network has paid a marginal increase to renew Formula One rights in Poland in a deal with the MP & Silva agency.
Eurosport extends Tour de France rights deal
International sports broadcaster Eurosport has extended its long-running rights deal for the Tour de France ‘Grand Tour’ cycling event.
Amazon, Twitter eye League One and Two rights – report
The English Football League, which operates the three club divisions below the top-tier Premier League, is in discussions with social media company Twitter and internet company Amazon over digital rights in the UK for its League One and League Two competitions, according to The Times.
The Racing Partnership signs rights deal with Ladbrokes Coral
The Racing Partnership (TRP), a joint venture between UK racecourse owner and operator Arena Racing Company (ARC) and seven UK independent racecourses, has agreed a new rights deal with gambling company Ladbrokes Coral PLC.