Europe
Viaplay recruits Lodewick to head up Dutch operation
Roger Lodewick, president of sports games at esports’ ESL FACEIT Group and previously of Team Marketing, has been recruited by Viaplay to lead its operations in the Netherlands.
Feyenoord claims Eredivisie first with new OTT platform via Endeavor Streaming
Feyenoord, the reigning Dutch champions, has become the first club in the Eredivisie to launch a dedicated streaming service for fans
Fifa goes to market in France with rights to next two men’s World Cups
Fifa has launched the tender process in France for media rights to the men’s World Cup in 2026 and 2030.
Sky Deutschland leverages OTT brand in Virtual Bundesliga sponsorship
Wow, the streaming platform of Sky Deutschland, is to give its name to the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL) under a new sponsorship agreement announced by the German Football League (DFL) this morning
TFF sets Valentine’s Day deadline for Turkish Süper Lig domestic bids
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has launched an invitation to tender for domestic broadcast rights to the top-tier Süper Lig and second-tier 1st League for the next three seasons.
LaLiga rights bids due next week in Italy, Portugal
Broadcasters in Italy and Portugal interested in acquiring rights to LaLiga from next season onwards must lodge their offers by midday (CET) on January 9, SportBusiness understands
World darts final secures Sky Sports’ best-ever non-football audience
Sky amassed a total of 4.8 million viewers for last night’s PDC World Darts Championship final featuring 16-year-old Luke Littler, making it the most-watched darts event ever on the pay-television broadcaster and its Now streaming service.
Sporting CP open to minority investor after using future TV money to pay off banks
Sporting CP, the Portuguese football powerhouse, is on the lookout for a minority investor after successfully buying back Mandatory Convertible Securities (VMOC) from Novo Banco using future media rights…
Littler-mania driving record darts audiences in UK, Germany
The final of the PDC World Darts Championship tonight (Wednesday) is set to break even more records in the UK for Sky with the performances of teenage sensation Luke Littler having brought viewers flooding…
Football dominates Spain’s 2023 free-to-air audience rankings
Spain’s list of the 30 top audiences of last year included 21 live football broadcasts, headlined by the Spanish national team’s win over Croatia in the Uefa Nations League final.
New German entrant DF1 provides Formula E with vital free-to-air home
Formula E has solved its biggest broadcast problem ahead of the new season, striking a free-to-air rights deal in Germany after the previous agreement was terminated with potentially legal implications
Barcelona sues Libero over missed payments, nets €160m from TV payout
FC Barcelona is to sue German investor Libero Football Finance over missed payments for its stake in the LaLiga club's Barça Vision digital media business.
DAZN, Telecom Italia ‘strike long-term Serie A distribution renewal’
DAZN and Telecom Italia are thought to have renewed their Serie A distribution agreement, a key deal for the rollout of the subscription broadcaster’s live coverage of the Italian top flight.
Viaplay ups monthly prices as part of ongoing rescue act
Viaplay Group has instigated price increases in two of its core markets as it bids to turn the tide after a turbulent 2023 dominated by huge financial losses, share sales and workforce cuts
Team steals march on Turkish Süper Lig with rights tender launches
Team Marketing has kicked off the sales processes in Turkey for broadcast rights to Uefa club competitions, stealing a march on the Turkish Football Federation before it issues the Turkish Süper Lig tender.
New player in German FTA market lands DEL rights, DAZN content
A new commercial television channel is to launch in Germany at the start of 2024 offering sports output until now showcased by ServusTV and also on the back of a content agreement with DAZN
RTL makes cycling push with Infront deal for Flanders Classics
RTL, the French-language free-to-air broadcaster in Belgium, is to succeed public-service rival RTBF as the domestic rights-holder of the Flanders Classics, the country's leading road cycling events
F1 returns to RTL under multi-property Sky sublicensing pact
German media group RTL has secured rights to Formula 1, the German 2. Bundesliga and the English Premier League as part of a wide-ranging content sharing agreement with pay-television broadcaster Sky Deutschland