Europe
Now TV to offer free access for opening day of the Ashes
UK pay-television broadcaster Sky will offer a free Sky Sports Day Pass for its online streaming service Now TV to coincide with the opening day of the 2015 Ashes cricket series between England and Australia.
Vivendi to acquire majority stake in Dailymotion
French media group Vivendi has agreed to acquire 80 per cent of video-sharing website Dailymotion from telecommunications company Orange for €217m ($243m).
ITV and UTV to show Frampton title defence
Belfast fighter Carl Frampton’s International Boxing Federation world super bantamweight title defence against Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. will be shown by commercial broadcasters ITV and UTV in the UK and Ireland, respectively.
Wimbledon returns to NTV Plus
Russian pay-television broadcaster NTV Plus has confirmed a rights deal to show the Wimbledon tennis championships.
Plans advance for Russia’s ‘Sport 360’ project
Russian state-owned broadcaster VGTRK has been instructed by President Vladimir Putin to hand over the frequency utilised by its Russia 2 channel to Gazprom Media Holding by August 1, ahead of the launch a new state-backed sports broadcaster one month later.
Telefónica tables bid for LaLiga’s international rights
Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica has submitted an offer to acquire the collective international rights for LaLiga, the new brand name for the Spanish Football League.
Regulator rejects complaint over Austrian Champions League deal
Austrian public-service broadcaster ORF has welcomed the decision of the country’s media regulator, Medienbehörde KommAustria, to reject a complaint from commercial broadcaster Puls 4 over its rights deal for the Uefa Champions League club football competition.
Canal Plus set to offer F1 and MotoGP in Spain
Subscribers to Spanish pay-television operator Canal Plus will be able to access Formula One and MotoGP content provided by Movistar TV from next month, according to multiple reports.
Discovery makes Olympic investment with major IOC deal
US media and entertainment company Discovery Communications and its pan-European sports broadcaster Eurosport have acquired television and multi-platform rights in a host of European markets for four editions of the Olympic Games, from 2018 to 2024, in a deal valued at €1.3bn ($1.46bn).
ProSiebenSat.1 targeting majority stake in DOSB media venture
The 7NXT division of German media company ProSiebenSat.1 is set to acquire a majority stake in the DOSB New Media arm of the German Olympic Committee (DOSB), according to New Business.
Saran Media expands FIVB relationship
The Saran Media agency has expanded its broadcast rights partnership with the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to take in eight new markets.
NC Plus maintains hold on Ekstraklasa rights
Polish pay-television operator NC Plus has agreed a four-season extension to its rights deal with Ekstraklasa SA, the governing body of the top division of domestic football, with pan-European broadcaster Eurosport sealing a sublicensing partnership.
Virgin Media to carry new BT Sport channel
UK pay-television operator Virgin Media has confirmed that it is to carry a new channel from pay-television broadcaster BT Sport.
Vivendi steps up with surprise bid for global rights to help NC Plus secure Ekstraklasa
Polish pay-television operator NC Plus secured live rights to the Ekstraklasa for the next four seasons after submitting a surprisingly high bid for the league’s international rights.
Spain on the brink of collective Liga sales
Spanish football’s ongoing rights shake-up continued during a fortnight in which collective selling was brought forward by the league and Mediapro was appointed its international marketing partner.
BBC pounces for New Zealand tour rights
UK public-service broadcaster the BBC has acquired rights for the New Zealand national rugby league team’s tour of England later this year.
Watching Brief (Vol.104) Special Focus: Football – Uefa Champions League
John Manning, research analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence, examines television audiences for this year's Uefa Champions League.
Deltenre seals new term at helm of EBU
Ingrid Deltenre has secured another term as the director general of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) consortium of free-to-air broadcasters.