Europe

Golf’s European Tour has said Mark Lichtenhein will step down from his role as its head of television, digital media and technology with immediate effect.

Modern Times Group, the multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster, has extended its rights partnership with the Premier League in Sweden and Denmark, as well as adding rights in Finland for the first time, while Norwegian commercial and pay-television broadcaster TV2 has also extended its contract with the top division of English football.

Kelly Butler is set to resign as senior vice-president of the Fox Sports Europe and Africa arm of Fox International Channels, the broadcast subsidiary of media company 21st Century Fox.

Swiss IPTV platform Zattoo has struck a deal to carry pan-European sports broadcaster Eurosport in German-speaking Europe.

US media and entertainment company Discovery Communications has officially taken full control of Eurosport after French commercial broadcaster TF1 confirmed the sale of its 49 per cent equity interest in the international sports broadcaster.

German sports broadcaster Sport1 is set to recommence broadcasting of its free-to-air channel via digital terrestrial television.

Spanish LaLiga football club Real Madrid has been awarded a licence that will enable its official television channel, Real Madrid TV, to broadcast on digital-terrestrial television in the country, according to El Mundo.

BeIN Media Group has reached a deal to sublicense rights to an additional 11 games from the Uefa Euro 2016 national team football tournament to French commercial broadcaster TF1.

Eurosport chief executive Peter Hutton has said sublicensing fees will cover 70 per cent of the cost of the pan-European sports broadcaster’s acquisition of rights to the Olympic Games.

The British Cycling national governing body has agreed a deal for pan-European sports broadcaster Eurosport to become the broadcast partner of its Revolution Series elite track cycling league for the remainder of the 2015-16 season.

UK pay-television broadcaster Sky will assume live coverage of the Open Championship from the 2016 edition of the golf major after the acceptance of a proposal from public-service broadcaster the BBC to end its obligations a year early.

Pan-European sports broadcaster Eurosport has acquired exclusive television and digital media rights in Portugal to the Formula One motor-racing world championship.

Swiss pay-television broadcaster Teleclub has extended and expanded its content partnership with German pay-television broadcaster Sky Deutschland, with the new agreement set to include access to the latter’s European football coverage.

UK pay-television operator Virgin Media has continued its campaign against the means by which rights are sold for the English Premier League, by stating the model for the top division of domestic football is an “anathema” to real markets.

Specialist equestrian sports and lifestyle television channel Horse & Country is to expand its services into Germany later this year.

UK specialist boxing pay-television channel BoxNation is drawing together investors to support a drive into Asian and east European markets, according to The Sunday Times.