Europe

International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports has entered into the Italian market with the acquisition of a majority stake in over-the-top platform Sportube.

Norwegian commercial and pay-television broadcaster TV2 has struck a sublicensing agreement for Uefa Champions League rights with Modern Times Group in a deal that ends the multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster’s exclusive hold on the club football competition in the country.

German sports broadcaster Sport1 has acquired rights for this year’s editions of the Fifa Confederations Cup and the Uefa Under-21 European Championship national team football tournaments.

InfrontRingier, the Infront Sports & Media agency’s joint venture with Swiss media company Ringier, has hired an executive with Swiss Super League football club FC Basel as its new managing director.

Modern Times Group, the multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster, has extended its rights to the Uefa Champions League club football competition in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Racecourse Media Group has distributed £85.5m (€101m/$111m) in media-rights payments to the 34 racecourses with which it is affiliated in the UK.

State broadcaster Rai has acquired exclusive rights in Italy to the next two editions of national team football tournament the Uefa European Under-21 Championship.

Delia Bushell, managing director of television and sport for UK telecommunications company BT, has opted to resign, according to multiple reports.

Belgian pay-television broadcaster Proximus has said it expects to seal a rights deal for the Pro League, the top division of domestic football, within weeks, adding that an agreement will be reached barring an “improbable catastrophe”.

Welsh public-service channel S4C has acquired highlights rights to the British and Irish Lions rugby union team’s upcoming tour of New Zealand through a sublicensing agreement with pay-television broadcaster Sky.

International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports Network has expanded its reach in Belgium by agreeing a carriage deal for its Eleven Sports 3 channel with pay-television broadcaster Proximus.

French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus has agreed a three-year extension to its rights deal with the Formula One motor-racing championship.

Finnish telecommunications company Telia has acquired rights to the SM-Liiga, the top division of ice hockey in Finland.

UK viewing audiences for the week between Monday 17th April and Sunday 23rd April, plus leading rugby league audiences on pay-television for the season to date. Watching Brief Vol. 154

Spanish commercial broadcaster Mediaset has acquired rights to national team events organised by the International Basketball Federation (Fiba).

The English Football League, which operates the three club divisions below the top-tier Premier League, is to launch a new live-streaming and content platform for overseas fans.