Europe
BT targets ECB rights with free-to-air strategy
UK telecommunications company BT has confirmed it is interested in the broadcast rights being marketed by the England and Wales Cricket Board, with an eye towards a free-to-air strategy.
MTG secures Finnish rights to Uefa national team properties
Modern Times Group, the multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster, has acquired exclusive rights in Finland to a range of national team events organised by Uefa, European football's governing body.
BeIN and France Télévisions retain rights to European rugby showpieces
European Professional Club Rugby, the organising body of the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup rugby union competitions, has extended its rights deals with French pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports and public-service broadcaster France Télévisions.
Melita and Vodafone to tackle Go through merger
Maltese telcos Melita and Vodafone have agreed a merger in a bid to provide a greater challenge to fellow telco Go.
Ascot targets Chinese audience with Sina Sports deal
Ascot Racecourse has agreed an exclusive broadcast rights deal with the Sina Sports division of Chinese internet operator Sina covering the forthcoming edition of British horseracing showpiece Royal Ascot.
Russian Premier League commences extension talks with Match TV
The Russian Premier League, the top division of domestic football, has opened talks over extending its rights deal with privately-held broadcaster Match TV.
Former Barcelona president arrested in money laundering probe
Spanish police have today (Tuesday) arrested Sandro Rosell, former president of LaLiga football club Barcelona, in connection to an investigation regarding his business activities in Brazil.
Eleven Sports takes Polish rights to speedway’s junior worlds
International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports has secured rights in Poland for the 2017 Individual Speedway Junior World Championship.
Eurosport to be available through Amazon Prime
Internet company Amazon will start offering live television channels, including Eurosport, via its Prime Video subscription service in the UK for an extra fee.
DAZN set to acquire Champions League rights in Germany
DAZN, the OTT service operated by digital sports media company Perform, is set to acquire live coverage of Uefa Champions League football matches in Germany alongside pay-television broadcaster Sky, according to reports.
France Télévisions renews 24 Hours of Le Mans rights
French public-service broadcaster France Télévisions has renewed a rights deal for the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance motor-racing event.
Sport1 strikes EA Sports deal
German sports broadcaster Sport1 has agreed a deal with video game developer EA Sports to stream live coverage of the Fifa 17 Ultimate Team Championship Series esports competition.
Agcom approves guidelines for Serie A rights-sales process
Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (Agcom), the Italian communications regulator, has approved the rules for the sale of the next cycle of domestic rights to Serie A, the top division of football in the country.
Watching Brief (Vol.156) UK Television Audiences Monday 1st May to Sunday 7th May
UK viewing audiences for the week between Monday 1st May and Sunday 7th May. We also include April's most-watched sports programmes that were broadcast free-to-air. P
Mediapro to provide coverage of NHL Conference Finals
The Mediapro agency has agreed a deal to return North American ice hockey league the NHL to Spanish television screens.
Uefa launches tenders in three European markets
European football’s governing body Uefa has launched tender processes for broadcast rights to its Champions League and Europa League club competitions in Italy, Spain and Slovenia.
Eleven Sports picks up WPT rights in Belgium, Luxembourg
International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports has secured rights in Belgium and Luxembourg to the World Poker Tour (WPT).
Gazprom-Media chief says ‘unified proposal’ made for World Cup rights
Gazprom-Media chief executive Dmitry Chernyshenko has said Russian broadcasters have put forward a “unified proposal” to world football’s governing body as the rights to the 2018 World Cup in its host country remain on the table.