Europe
Liga ACB claims first by harnessing Facebook for game coverage
Liga ACB, the top division of basketball in Spain, has claimed a first for the Spanish sports media market by live streaming a game via social media platform Facebook.
Mediaset snaps up Euro 2016 rights to end Spanish stand-off
Spanish commercial broadcaster Mediaset has acquired rights for the Uefa Euro 2016 national team football tournament.
Nos and Vodafone strike rights-sharing partnership
Portuguese telecommunications companies Nos and Vodafone have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding under which they are set to share broadcast rights for sports events.
International Champions Cup scores rights deals in UK, Russia
UK pay-television broadcaster Sky and Russian sports media platform Match TV have acquired rights to the 2016 edition of pre-season club football competition the International Champions Cup.
TV2 seals Norway national team rights – Siem
Norwegian commercial and pay-television broadcaster TV2 has acquired rights for Norway national team football matches over the next four years.
Sport1 extends Coupe de France deal
German sports broadcaster Sport1 has retained rights for the Coupe de France club football knockout competition under a three-season contract extension.
MP & Silva extends rights deal with Lega Basket
The MP & Silva agency has extended a worldwide rights distribution deal with Lega Basket, the top division of club basketball in Italy.
Mediaset unveils 4K platform for Champions League final
Italian pay-television broadcaster Mediaset Premium is to launch the country’s first Ultra HD sports channel for the 2015-16 final of club football competition the Uefa Champions League, which is being hosted in Milan.
Serbian basketball league to launch streaming platform
The Basketball League of Serbia has sealed a deal to launch a video subscription platform in partnership with online services provider StreamAMG.
Fight Channel Group builds Telekom Austria ties through Blizoo deal
The Fight Channel Group has agreed a carriage deal for its Fight Channel and Fight Channel World HD pay-television channels with Macedonian cable television operator Blizoo.
Motorvision TV partners up with Bouygues Telecom
German-based pay-television channel Motorvision TV has expanded its reach in France by agreeing a carriage deal with telecommunications company Bouygues Telecom.
Extreme Sports Channel picks up International MMA Federation rights
Extreme Sports Channel, a pay-television service, has sealed a rights deal in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to show coverage of events operated by the International MMA Federation, which organises mixed martial arts contests.
BT ponders selling Premiership Rugby games to free-to-air
BT Sport, which holds exclusive Premiership Rugby live rights through to the 2020-21 campaign, is considering sublicensing a package of live free-to-air rights during the 2017-18 season, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
IMG to produce Haye-Gjergjaj fight
The IMG agency has been appointed to produce live coverage of the heavyweight boxing clash between British fighter David Haye and Kosovo-Albanian Arnold Gjergjaj in London on May 21.
BeIN key to volleyball Lega growth
The MP & Silva agency is thought to have paid an increase of just under 35 per cent to renew its global rights deal with Italy’s top men’s volleyball league, Lega Pallavolo Serie A.
TVP snaps up Euro 2016
Polish public-service broadcaster TVP has acquired a share of Euro 2016 rights from Polsat in what local experts believe is an excellent deal for the latter.
Česká Televize pays more for 2018 and 2020 Games
Czech public-service broadcaster Česká Televize acquired rights to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games from Discovery Communications this week, paying substantially more than the value of the 2014 and 2016 Games in the country.
Sky’s Fiba deal part of wider plan to revive sport in Italy
Sky Italia’s deal for International Basketball Federation (Fiba) national team rights this month is part of a broader plan to help revive the fortunes of the sport in Italy.