Europe

The Mediaset Premium pay-television service of Italian commercial broadcaster Mediaset has acquired rights to the International Champions Cup pre-season club football friendly tournament.

French digital-terrestrial television channel L'Équipe 21 has agreed a three-season deal with the French Volleyball League, the Ligue Nationale de Volley.

The beIN Media Group has acquired rights for a number of competitions operated by the European Handball Federation.

UK public-service broadcaster the BBC has reached a five-year agreement with the Rugby Football Union to show highlights from all of England’s autumn international Test matches.

The beIN Media Group has completed a deal to take over Turkish pay-television broadcaster Digiturk.

Germany’s federal cartel office, the Bundeskartellamt, has given the green light to media company ProSiebenSat.1’s acquisition of a majority stake in the DOSB New Media arm of the German Olympic Committee (DOSB).

Dutch public-service broadcaster NOS’s bid in the current cycle for highlights rights to the Eredivisie, football’s top division in the country, was competitive, according to national media regulator the CvdM.

All England Lawn Tennis Club chief executive Richard Lewis has indicated that UK public-service broadcaster the BBC is likely to retain the rights to the Wimbledon championships when its current contract expires.

LaLiga, the new brand name for the Spanish Football League, is set to launch a new tender process in October or November for the domestic media rights to club football from the 2016-17 season, as further details emerged over the terms of its deal with telecommunications company Telefónica for the forthcoming campaign.

Benfica TV, the pay-television channel operated by Portuguese Primeira Liga football club Benfica, has acquired rights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts series.

The IPC Swimming division of the International Paralympic Committee has said a record level of broadcast coverage has been secured for the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships, which got underway today (Monday) in Glasgow, Scotland.

Audiences for the Olympic Games will not fall across Europe following the new long-term deal with the Discovery Communications media group, the International Olympic Committee told TV Sports Markets this week.

Cyprus’s weakened economy has caused a decline in the value of Uefa’s club football competitions for a second successive cycle.

Shadow Culture Secretary Chris Bryant has accused the UK government of forcing public-service broadcaster the BBC to the margins of major sports rights bidding.

The European Broadcasting Union signed off a deal for the Euro 2016 tournament in 26 territories late last month in a contract worth considerably less than its deal for Euro 2012.

The Italian rugby federation said this week its recent deals covering domestic and international rights will help the game continue to develop at home and abroad, while providing financial security for the sport in Italy.