Europe
MTV Finland to show MotoGP
Pay-television broadcaster MTV Finland has acquired rights for the MotoGP motorcycle-racing world championship.
LaLiga hits back as regulator launches action following Mediaset complaint
LaLiga, the organising body of Spanish club football, has maintained that commercial broadcaster Mediaset is in breach of its broadcast regulations after the Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y La Competencia (CNMC), Spain’s competition regulator, opened proceedings against the organisation.
Vodafone España revamps sports offering with F1, MotoGP deals
Telecommunications company Vodafone has revamped its sports offering in Spain after concluding a deal for rights to the Formula One motor-racing championship and the MotoGP motorcycling championship.
Bike Channel signs deal for triathlon rights
UK pay-television broadcaster Bike Channel has acquired exclusive rights in the country to three leading triathlon events.
British GT Championship secures landmark TV deal
UK free-to-air sports channel Front Runner has acquired rights to the British GT Championship, granting the motor-racing series season-long television exposure for the first time in its 25-year history.
Sunset+Vine picks up BWF Championships contract
UK production company Sunset+Vine has agreed a deal to serve as the host broadcaster for this year’s Badminton World Federation’s World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
Premier League claims latest win in piracy battle
Football’s English Premier League has won the latest round of its battle to clamp down on piracy of its audiovisual content after London’s High Court approved its request to shutdown unlicensed streams online.
Watching Brief (Vol.146) UK Television Audiences Monday 20th to Sunday 26th February
UK viewing audiences for the week Monday 20th to Sunday 26th February and a review of audiences for this year's EFL Cup.
Watching Brief Vol. 146
Canal Plus to set advertising first for Champions League clash
French broadcaster Canal Plus has claimed it will set an advertising first for its coverage of the second leg of the Uefa Champions League football clash between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, which takes place later today (Wednesday).
Mediaset secures Uefa European Under-21 Championship rights in Spain
Spanish commercial broadcaster Mediaset has acquired rights to national team football tournament the 2017 Uefa European Under-21 Championship.
BT Sport picks up British speedway rights
UK pay-television broadcaster BT Sport has acquired rights to the Speedway Great Britain (SGB) Premiership competition.
Discovery lands Allsvenskan rights – reports
The Discovery Networks Sweden division of international media and entertainment company Discovery Communications has secured domestic rights to the Allsvenskan, the top division of Swedish football, according to multiple reports.
Chinese firms exit running as three entities seek control of Imagina – report
Venture capital funds Access Industries, Advent International and Pamplona Capital Management are the three finalists in contention to acquire a controlling stake in Imagina, the operator of Spanish agency Mediapro, according to El Confidencial.
BBC holds on to Women’s World Cup rights
UK public-service broadcaster the BBC has acquired rights to the 2019 edition of football’s Fifa Women’s World Cup, which will be staged in France.
IWGA sees Sport1 deal as template for World Games
German sports broadcaster Sport1 has acquired rights to the 2017 World Games multi-sport event in a deal the International World Games Association hopes will provide a template for other European markets.
BT splashes out on Uefa rights renewal
Pay-television broadcaster BT Sport has maintained its hold on rights to Uefa club football competitions in the UK by extending its contract for the Champions League and Europa League.
UK secretary ‘minded to’ refer Fox’s Sky takeover to Ofcom
The UK’s Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, Karen Bradley, has said she is “minded to” refer US media company 21st Century Fox’s proposed takeover of pan-European pay-television broadcast group Sky to UK media watchdog Ofcom after the parties involved issued formal notification of the merger to the European Commission.
Supercars Championship launches 2017 season with new rights partners
Australian motor-racing series the Supercars Championship has secured new international broadcast rights deals, and has launched a new mobile application, for its 2017 season.