Europe
BT confident it can monetise £1.2bn Uefa rights renewal
UK telco BT told TV Sports Markets this week it is “well-placed” to monetise its huge investment in rights to Uefa’s Champions League and Europa League.
Serie A international rights could be sold first due to Mediaset case
Italy’s top football league, Lega Serie A, is considering selling its international rights before its domestic rights in the next cycle due to uncertainty about the future of pay-television platform Mediaset Premium.
Eurosport completes set of grand slam tournaments in Turkey
Sports broadcaster Eurosport has completed its set of grand slam tennis rights in Turkey and Central Asia, acquiring Wimbledon rights from Saran Media in a three-year deal.
MotoGP live again in Finland after hiatus thanks to MTV3 deal
MotoGP will be shown live in Finland again this season after a one-year hiatus, although it will be earning about 60 per cent less than from its last live rights deal in the country.
Fifa benefits from BBC zeal after missing out on Euro 2017 rights
Fifa took advantage of the BBC’s failure to acquire women’s Euro 2017 rights to secure a big increase in the value of the women’s World Cup.
Eurosport Sweden lands Allsvenskan rights
International sports broadcaster Eurosport has acquired rights in Sweden to the Allsvenskan, the top tier of club football in the country.
Sport1 strikes deal for Virtuellen Bundesliga rights
German sports broadcaster Sport1 has acquired rights to the Virtuellen Bundesliga (VBL), the official esports competition of the German Football League (DFL).
Andy Haworth, head of strategy, BT Consumer
Interview with Andy Haworth, BT Consumer’s head of strategy, on the telco’s renewal of Uefa Champions League and Europa League rights from 2018-19 to 2020-21.
Watching Brief (Vol.148) UK Television Audiences Monday 6th March to Sunday 12th March
UK viewing audiences for the week between Monday 6th March and Sunday 12th March, plus February's leading free-to-air audiences. Please note that viewing data for BT Sport 1 is currently unavailable.
TV3 nets England football rights
Irish commercial broadcaster TV3 has acquired rights for England’s national team football qualifiers ahead of the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia.
Eir Sport secures new GAA rights package
Irish pay-television broadcaster Eir Sport has acquired a new package of rights for the Gaelic Athletic Association’s Football and Hurling Club Championship under a five-year deal.
Broadcasters bid to retain Coupe de France rights
Public-service broadcaster France Télévisions and the Eurosport France channel have lodged a joint bid to retain rights to the Coupe de France football club knockout tournament.
Sky lands rights to Brook-Spence title fight
UK pay-television broadcaster Sky has acquired exclusive domestic live rights to Kell Brook’s IBF World Welterweight title defence against rising US boxing star Errol Spence, which it will exploit via its pay-per-view service Sky Sports Box Office.
DFL to launch Bundesliga International sales and marketing unit
The German Football League (DFL), organising body of the top two divisions of the domestic game, has revealed plans to replace its existing DFL Sports Enterprises entity with a new body entitled Bundesliga International.
Vivendi and Mediaset launch defamation suits
French media group Vivendi and Italian broadcaster Mediaset launched lawsuits against each other for defamation yesterday (Tuesday) in the opening day of a court case in Milan, according to the Reuters news agency.
ASO to support top Catalan cycling event
Amaury Sport Organisation has struck a long-term deal to produce and distribute coverage of cycling’s Volta Ciclista a Catalunya.
Pro League details interest in next set of rights
The Pro League, the top division of club football in Belgium, has said it has received offers from 10 interested parties for its next set of broadcast rights.
Vivendi chief fires fresh salvo in Mediaset dispute
French media group Vivendi has fired another shot in its ongoing battle with Mediaset, accusing the Italian broadcaster of providing “misleading” information during talks over a partnership last year.