Europe
Vivendi chief hopeful of resolution to Mediaset dispute
Vivendi remains hopeful that it can salvage an agreement with Italian broadcaster Mediaset over a disputed pay-television deal, according to the French media company’s chief executive Arnaud de Puyfontaine.
ProSieben Maxx builds portfolio with European basketball rights
German commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1’s free-to-air channel ProSieben Maxx has expanded its sports portfolio by agreeing a rights deal for club competitions operated by Euroleague Basketball.
Sky launches new VR service
UK pay-television broadcaster Sky has stepped up its commitment to virtual reality technology by launching a new app.
Eurosport Norway picks up English football rights
Pay-television broadcaster Eurosport Norway has struck a rights deal with the English Football League, which operates the three divisions below the top-tier Premier League.
Com Hem completes Boxer takeover
Swedish cable-television operator Com Hem has completed its acquisition of pay-television broadcaster Boxer.
Swiss-Ski rights dispute resolved
The European Broadcasting Union has retained rights to Swiss-Ski events after a dispute that also involved the Infront Sports & Media agency was resolved, according to the umbrella body for public-service broadcasters.
SHL gets 90% fee increase in Sweden’s most valuable deal
Pay-television broadcaster C More last week agreed the most valuable Swedish sports-rights deal in history, paying an increase of about 90 per cent to renew Swedish Hockey League rights.
Saran to launch channel in response to low broadcaster bids
The Saran Media agency will become Turkey’s newest sports broadcaster in November, abandoning its role as a broker of media-rights deals in favour of exploiting rights itself.
IPC opts for early extension with Channel 4 for 2018 & 2020 Games
Channel 4 is expected to pay a small increase to extend its deal with the International Paralympic Committee to cover the 2018 and 2020 Games.
Early Euroleague rights deal imminent in Greek market
Basketball’s Euroleague is close to a new media-rights deal in Greece even though its existing contract has two seasons to run, TV Sports Markets understands.
Parliamentary scrutiny on Olympic impasse in Germany
German public-service broadcasters ARD and ZDF are unlikely to change their position over free-to-air rights to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games, despite being subjected to questions in parliament this month over their hard-line negotiating tactics.
Formula E opts for Channel 5 in return for first UK rights fee
Motorsport’s Formula E secured its first rights fee from the UK market in a deal agreed earlier this month with commercial broadcaster Channel 5.
Premier Sports secures long-term extension with NHL
UK pay-television broadcaster Premier Sports has signed a long-term extension to its rights deal with North American ice hockey league the NHL.
Perform Group extends with British Basketball League
Digital sports media company Perform Group has extended a rights deal with the British Basketball League domestic club competition.
Canal Plus rejects compensation offer from LFP over Ligue 1 coverage
French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus has rejected a request from the French Football League (LFP) to pay a compensation fee that would allow it to alter its coverage of the top-tier Ligue 1 club competition.
EBU extends Fisa deal
The International Rowing Federation (Fisa) has extended its rights partnership with the European Broadcasting Union consortium of public-service broadcasters.
Go offers opt-out plan for sports subscribers
Maltese telecommunications company Go has given new subscribers to its sports package the option to back out of the plan at no extra cost.
Eleven on target with darts rights deal in Belgium
International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports Network has acquired rights in Belgium to the Professional Darts Corporation's 2017 World Darts Championship.