Europe

The Regional Court of Cologne has ruled in favour of international media and entertainment company Discovery Communications in a dispute over pay-television broadcaster Sky Deutschland’s recent marketing campaign surrounding Bundesliga football coverage in the country.

Online streaming platform Sina Sports has struck a strategic partnership with the All England Club, which operates the Wimbledon Championships.

German public-service broadcaster ZDF has said it is open to partnerships with rival operators in a bid to enhance its position in the sports-rights market.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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