Europe

Russia’s National Media Group has signed a deal with Viasat World – the new brand for the international pay-television channels arm of Modern Times Group – to form a joint venture to distribute Viasat’s channels in the country.

Christian Seifert, chief executive of the German football league, told TV Sports Markets this week the latest domestic Bundesliga deals would entrench it as one of the world’s top three football leagues.

The Mediapro agency acquired a slate of Spanish LaLiga rights this week in order to fill the schedule of its recently-launched digital-terrestrial sports channel Gol.

UK commercial channel Dave continued its move into live sport with a deal for rights to this year’s Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 cricket series.

Uefa increased the value of the women’s European Championship tournament hugely in a deal with France Télévisions last month.

Romania’s public-service broadcaster TVR and general entertainment channel Antena 1 failed in a last-gasp attempt to block a deal by commercial broadcaster Pro TV for free-to-air rights to 23 Euro 2016 matches.

The Infront Sports & Media agency signed off relatively lucrative long-term deals for ice hockey’s World Championship in three markets last month.

John Manning, research analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence examines television audiences in selected European markets for the 2015-16 Uefa Champions League.

Polish pay-television broadcasters Cyfrowy Polsat and Telewizja Polsat have been asked to provide information about their activities in relation to coverage of the ongoing Uefa Euro 2016 national team football tournament by the president of Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.

AMC Networks International-Iberia, the Iberian division of US entertainment company AMC Networks, has joined forces with US gaming and media streaming firm Machinima to launch a new channel in Spain and Portugal focused on esports and gaming.

The England & Wales Cricket Board is set to launch a tender for domestic rights this autumn, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

UK rowing showpiece the Henley Royal Regatta has enhanced its exposure in its home market by agreeing a rights deal with pay-television broadcaster BT Sport.

German public-service broadcasters ARD and ZDF are ready to cut off talks with Discovery Communications over a sublicensing deal for rights covering the Olympic Games in 2018 and 2020 if the media company does not lower its asking price.

The four parties involved in the investigation by Italy’s antitrust authority, l’Autorità Garante del Mercato e della Concorrenza, into the sale of Serie A rights, which led to €66m ($74.4m) in fines being handed down in April, have filed appeals against the ruling.

The Mediapro agency has acquired three packages of LaLiga Spanish football domestic rights for a total fee of €55.8m ($63m) over three years, from 2016-17 to 2018-19.

French commercial broadcasters TF1 and M6 have submitted a joint bid for the rights to a host of national team properties of Uefa, European football’s governing body, with the offer said to be lower in value than the contract currently in place.

UK free-to-air entertainment channel Dave has acquired exclusive rights for the 2016 Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament.

Pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports has agreed a four-season extension to its exclusive rights in Italy to the Bundesliga, the top division of German football.