Europe
Discovery and BAMTech partnership heralds new European venture
International media and entertainment company Discovery Communications has agreed a long-term partnership with BAMTech that will lead to the formation of a European division of the video technology business of MLB Advanced Media, the interactive media arm of Major League Baseball.
L’Équipe to cover Barbarians fixtures
French digital-terrestrial television channel L’Équipe has bolstered its rugby union portfolio by acquiring rights to three international games.
TVE scores Spanish rights to FA Cup
Spanish public-service broadcaster TVE has agreed a two-season rights deal for English club football’s FA Cup, according to the El Confidencial Digital website.
Sport1 backs historic Germany-England futsal games
German sports broadcaster Sport1 has acquired rights to two futsal games between Germany and England, encounters that mark Germany’s first-ever internationals in football’s small-sided format.
Manchester City claims Premier League first with Amazon Fire TV launch
Manchester City has made its in-house media platform CityTV available through Fire TV, the streaming service of internet company Amazon – a move it claims is a first for an English Premier League football club.
Sky opens up access to Premier League clips
UK pay-television broadcaster Sky has introduced a new, free service to make highlights clips of English Premier League football on its mobile application more widely accessible.
Segeborn named as new sports COO for C More, TV4
The Bonnier media group has appointed Rickard Segeborn as the new chief operating officer for sport across two of its channels.
SRG SSR extends Spengler Cup agreement
Swiss public-service broadcaster SRG SSR has extended a rights deal for the annual Spengler Cup ice hockey competition for five years, from 2017 to 2021.
Top-of-the-table Championship clash to be offered live streaming showcase
The Rugby Football Union has said it will provide free live streaming of the forthcoming Championship game between London Irish and Yorkshire Carnegie.
TVP steps away from sports channel expansion plan
Polish public-service broadcaster TVP has abandoned plans to launch a second sports channel, according to president Jacek Kurski.
RTÉ and Sky set to retain GAA rights – report
Ireland’s Gaelic Athletic Association is set to strike a five-year extension to its rights deals with public-service broadcaster RTÉ and pay-television broadcaster Sky, according to the Irish Independent.
BeIN Sports renews NBA deal as Dish launches team-specific NBA Team Pass
French pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports has extended a rights deal for the NBA North American basketball league, while Dish Network has become the first pay-television operator to unbundle the NBA Team Pass service, allowing subscribers to follow a single team.
SFR Sport adds England’s autumn internationals to rugby line-up
French telecommunications company SFR has bolstered the rugby union portfolio of its SFR Sport television platform by acquiring rights to England’s autumn internationals.
Prime TV scoops up Bangladesh Premier League rights in UK
Europe-wide Pakistani channel Prime TV has secured rights in the UK to the 2016 Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 club cricket competition.
SFR on the track with French athletics deal
Fédération Française d’Athlétisme, the governing body of athletics in France, has awarded exclusive rights to Altice and the telecommunications company’s subsidiary, SFR.
FA confirms IMG, Pitch deals for FA Cup
England’s Football Association has confirmed international media-rights deals with the IMG and Pitch International agencies covering the FA Cup domestic knockout tournament.
Professional Squash Association extends rights deals in the UK, Australia, New Zealand
The Professional Squash Association (PSA) has extended rights partnerships with BT Sport in the UK and fellow pay-television operators Fox Sports Australia and Sky New Zealand.
Fina dives into EBU extension
Fina, the global governing body of aquatic sports, has extended its rights partnership with the European Broadcasting Union consortium of public-service broadcasters.