Europe
Ekstraklasa awaiting final bids for domestic rights
The Ekstraklasa, the top division of football in Poland, has set a deadline of tomorrow (Wednesday) for final bids from the four parties in contention for its pay-television rights.
Sky New Zealand picks up Baku 2015 rights
Pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand has acquired rights in the country to this year’s inaugural edition of the European Games multi-sport event.
Baku 2015 secures Serbian rights partner
Serbian public-service broadcaster RTS has acquired rights to the 2015 European Games.
Hrstic to boost Sport1’s digital offering
Sport1 has appointed Ivo Hrstic as the new director of content and digital editor at the German sports broadcaster.
Canal Plus names new head of sport
Thierry Thuillier has been appointed as the new head of sport at French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus.
EE trials 4G instant replay service during FA Cup final
Telecommunications company EE trialled an instant replay service via 4G mobile technology during Saturday’s FA Cup final between Arsenal and Aston Villa.
UK rights market on verge of shake-up as bookies ponder in-house channel bids
The coming months will be critical to the fortunes of UK horse racing. Racecourse Media Group, which distributes media rights on behalf of 34 UK racecourses, will agree two major deals, while in the background proposed legislation looks set to shake up the finances of the sport.
Furious NC Plus to get a second bite at the cherry
The award of the domestic live rights to Poland’s top football league, the Ekstraklasa, is likely to come down to a straight shootout between the incumbent rights-holder, pay-television platform NC Plus, and Eleven, the new channel operated by Andrea Radrizzani.
Matchroom secures Sky increase
Boxing promoter Matchroom Sport is thought to have secured a small increase in the value of its rights in last week’s renewal with UK pay-television broadcaster Sky.
ITN out to ‘stir up’ the business
ITN Productions is planning “to stir up the sports business” following its deal with the English Football League, managing director Mark Browning told TV Sports Markets this week.
Mark Browning, managing director, ITN Productions
Interview with Mark Browning, managing director of ITN Productions, on the company’s deal to produce coverage of football competitions run by the Football League.
New channel to replace Gol T on Spanish DTT
The Mediapro agency is to withdraw its Gol T football pay-television channel from Spanish digital-terrestrial television on July 1.
Watching Brief (Vol.102) Special Focus: Football – English Premier League
Mike Kiernan, analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence examines television audiences in the UK for the 2014-15 English Premier League season
ESPN seals Serie A rights in Latin America
ESPN has reached a sublicensing deal with rival international pay-television sports broadcaster Fox Sports Latin America to acquire rights for the Serie A top division of Italian football across Latin America and certain territories in the Caribbean.
DigiVive seals French Open digital coverage in India
Indian telecommunications company DigiVive has acquired rights for the 2015 French Open tennis tournament.
Baku 2015 strikes Croatian rights deal
SPTV, a free-to-air specialist sports channel owned by the Croatian Olympic Committee, has secured rights in the country for the 2015 edition of the European Games multi-sports event in Baku, Azerbaijan.
O2 Sport snaps up Czech top-tier rights
O2 Sport, a yet-to-be-launched subscription sports channel operated by telecommunications company O2 in the Czech Republic, has acquired rights for the Czech Liga, the top tier of football in the country.
DTM targets Asian market for broadcast growth
The DTM German touring cars series has reported an increase in coverage in the Asian market as it seeks to expand its broadcast footprint.