Europe

Esports

The Vodafone España division of the telecommunications company has launched a new esports channel on digital platform Twitch.
Olympic Games

Telecommunications group Telecom Italia (TIM) has agreed a first-of-its-kind partnership with media and entertainment company Discovery Communications that will grant it access to content from the Olympic Games.

Altice has entered talks with rival media company Prisa to acquire a majority stake in the latter’s Portugal-based Media Capital.
Football

German public-service broadcasters ARD and ZDF are set to conclude a deal for rights to the Uefa Nations League, the national team competition launched by football’s European governing body.
Football

Uefa turned down a strong bid from incumbent free-to-air Champions League rights-holder ZDF for its next cycle in Germany, instead accepting an offer from pay-television broadcaster Sky Deutschland for exclusive rights.

Football

Pay-television platform Sky Italia is thought to have agreed to pay just over €300m ($336m) per season for exclusive rights to the Uefa Champions League and Europa League from 2018-19 to 2020-21.

Football

The attempt by MP & Silva to terminate a deal with Fifa for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Italy is being challenged by football’s global governing body, just months after the two appeared to have reached a settlement.

Tennis

France Télévisions prised prestigious free-to-air tennis rights from M6 late last month, despite paying no increase for the rights.
Boxing

BoxNation’s carriage and simulcast deal with BT Sport has been further enhanced after the two broadcasters acquired rights to the middleweight world title fight between Gennady Golovkin and Saúl Álvarez – the partnership’s first major acquisition since it began in February.
Minor Sports

The International Orienteering Federation has said its 2017 World Orienteering Championships will receive live coverage in host nation Estonia, as well as the sport’s key markets of Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Switzerland, as the event continues to increase its broadcast reach.
Football

The Mediapro agency and beIN Media Group have retained their hold on the rights to the Uefa Champions League club football competition in Spain, according to multiple reports.

French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus has been buoyed by a decision by France’s competition authority, Autorité de la Concurrence, to ease rules that had sought to limit its market share.
Basketball

Swiss public-service broadcaster SRG has agreed a five-season extension to its rights deal with the Swiss Basketball national governing body.

UK viewing audiences for the week between Monday 5th and Sunday 11th June. We also look at May's leading pay-television audiences. Watching Brief Vol. 161

Sean Bratches, Formula One’s managing director of commercial operations, has hit out at the motor racing series’ broadcast rights model inherited by the previous regime led by Bernie Ecclestone, stating that a focus on pay-television, especially in the UK market, has been detrimental to the sport.
Football

Swiss pay-television broadcaster Teleclub has extended and expanded its long-term partnership with media company Discovery Networks Deutschland by securing exclusive rights in Switzerland and Liechtenstein to sports broadcaster Eurosport’s package of rights for the Bundesliga, the top division of German football.
Rowing

UK pay-television broadcaster BT Sport has acquired rights to this year’s edition of the Henley Royal Regatta, with production company Sunset+Vine having also been confirmed as the host broadcaster of the British rowing showpiece for the third year in a row.
Multi-sport

Italian broadcaster Mediaset has secured full control of its pay-television unit, Mediaset Premium, after acquiring the stake held by Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica.