Europe

The German Football League (DFL) has launched a tender process for the next cycle of international media rights for a range of its properties, including the top-tier Bundesliga.

Chinese internet operator Le Sports has today (Thursday) confirmed a wide-ranging partnership with Italian Serie A football team AC Milan which includes carriage of the club’s television channel.

UK pay-television broadcaster Sky has invested in UK-based mobile fan engagement and sports marketing company InCrowd.

Malaysian pay-television broadcaster Astro has extended its rights deal for the Premier League, the top division of English club football.

Polish production company ATM System has been appointed as host broadcaster of the 2017 World Games, with commercial and pay-television broadcaster Polsat set to broadcast the multi-sport event in its host country and Ufa Sports appointed to market international broadcast rights.

International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports Network has secured rights in Poland and Belgium to the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) qualifying matches for the 2018 Fifa World Cup national team tournament.

The CAA Eleven agency has launched tenders in Germany and Poland for rights to the European Qualifiers for the Uefa Euro 2020 and 2022 Fifa World Cup national team tournaments, the 2018-19 and 2020-21 Nations League competitions and other international matches.

Pay-television broadcaster Star India has extended its long-running rights deal for the English Premier League top-tier club football competition.

The German Football League (DFL) will not be permitted to sell exclusive rights for live television broadcasts of the Bundesliga after the country’s competition watchdog, the Bundeskartellamt, insisted on a ‘no single buyer’ rule for the impending rights auction to the top division of domestic football, according to Reuters.

Israeli agency Davnis Sports has agreed a deal to market Greek Superleague club PAOK’s international media rights to its home games in the top division of domestic football.

UK-based production company Input Media has signed a two-year extension, from 2016 to 2017, to continue to produce content from the French Open grand slam tournament on behalf of the French Tennis Federation.

UK public-service broadcaster the BBC has agreed a deal with US media and entertainment company Discovery Communications under which it will give up exclusive rights to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games in return for free-to-air rights to the 2022 and 2024 editions of the multi-sport event.

Dutch magazine Voetbal International has agreed a media partnership with the Eredivisie Media & Marketing arm of the top division of domestic football under which it will gain access to exclusive content supplied by pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports Netherlands.

Portugal’s competition authority, the Autoridade da Concorrência, is looking into the long-term football rights deals signed by rival telecommunications firms Nos and Altice, according to Reuters.

German commercial broadcaster RTL has agreed a rights deal with motor-racing event the ADAC 24hr of Nürburgring.

UK public-service broadcaster the BBC has acquired rights to show highlights of International Cricket Council events on its website for the next four years.