Europe
TVE to stop showing Liga recaps
Spanish public-service broadcaster TVE has decided to stop showing recaps of matches from the country’s top-tier football Liga in protest at a ruling from Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia, the national competition regulator.
Fox deal adds six European markets to America’s Cup broadcast footprint
The Fox Networks Group division of media company 21st Century Fox has acquired exclusive rights to broadcast all racing from sailing’s 35th America’s Cup in the Netherlands, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Israel.
ProSiebenSat.1 to steer clear of Bundesliga rights auction
German media company ProSiebenSat.1 will not submit an offer for the next cycle of domestic rights for the Bundesliga, but telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom has confirmed it will enter a bid to show coverage of the top division of football in the country.
Sky Deutschland heads into Bundesliga tender with new rights chief
German pay-television broadcaster Sky Deutschland has appointed Hans Gabbe to the position of senior vice-president of sports rights ahead of the impending domestic tender process for the Bundesliga, the top division of German football.
Discovery recruits MP & Silva exec to aid sports rights drive
The Discovery Networks Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) division of international media company Discovery Communications has appointed Sascha Kojic, formerly of the MP & Silva agency, to the newly created role of vice-president of sports for the CEEMEA region.
MCS picks up Concacaf Champions League rights
French basic-tier sports broadcaster Ma Chaîne Sport has acquired rights for the Concacaf Champions League club football tournament in the Americas.
Alibaba Sports and Wige Media join forces
German production company Wige Media has agreed a strategic partnership with the Alibaba Sports division of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group.
Eleven Sports Network signs latest Polish carriage deal
International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports Network has further expanded its distribution in Poland by signing an agreement with telecommunications company Orange Polska to broadcast its Eleven and Eleven Sports channels.
Proximus TV seals rights for revamped Belgian football league
Belgian pay-television operator Proximus TV has sealed a rights deal with the country’s Pro League that will coincide with a restructuring and renaming of the football league’s second-tier championship.
Sky Italia snaps up Copa América rights
Pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia has acquired rights for this year’s Copa América Centenario national team football tournament.
Mediaset denies reports of Vivendi takeover talks
Italian media company Mediaset has denied reports that it is in talks with Vivendi over a possible deal to sell its pay-television division to the French media company.
UFC brokers streaming deal with BBC
UK public-service broadcaster the BBC has agreed a digital streaming rights deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts series.
France Télévisions commits to broad Paralympics coverage
Public-service broadcaster France Télévisions has confirmed it will show more than 100 hours of live coverage of the 2016 summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Eleven adds Vectra to Polish distribution line-up
International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports Network has completed its collection of Poland’s largest cable television operators by agreeing a carriage deal with Vectra.
DFB the biggest winner in swathe of deals
Germany’s football federation is set to earn about 35 per cent more from domestic media rights to its knockout cup competition, with deals to be announced in the coming weeks.
Fox considers tennis channel launch after WTA acquisition
Pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports has positioned itself as the home of tennis in the Netherlands following deals for ATP and WTA rights in recent weeks.
Servus snares MotoGP in Austria
Servus TV’s acquisition of rights to motorcycling series MotoGP last month has come at a high cost as the commercial broadcaster will share coverage in Austria with Eurosport.
Canal Plus confirms five-year carriage deal with beIN Sports
Canal Plus has confirmed that it has agreed a five-year deal, from 2016 to 2020, to become the exclusive carriage partner in France for rival pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports’ channels.