Finland

Sportfive, Kentaro, IMG get plenty of ties against the big five teams; Infront do not fare so well

Bobsleigh/Skeleton: German public-service broadcasters ARD and ZDF acquired the rights for the men’s and women’s bobsleigh and skeleton World Cups and World Championships for the three years from 2006-07 to …

A joint-bid from Canal Plus and Telenor comfortably won the Premier League rights in the Nordic region after much less competition than was expected.

The battle between F1 legend Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso boosted television audiences in three of Europe’s top five markets this season.

Football: Polish pay-television operator Canal Plus acquired the main package of Serie A rights for the three years from 2007-08 to 2009-10 in a deal with the Media Partners and Silva agency.

Football: Indonesian media group Media Nusantara Citra, owner of free-to-air broadcasters RCTI, TPI and Global TV, acquired the rights for Euro 2008, paying between $11m (£5.4m/€7.5m

Formula One fans in Finland will have to pay to watch live television coverage of the series from next season.

American Football:  UK pay-operator British Sky Broadcasting acquired the UK and Ireland rights for the National Football League in a four-year deal from 2007-08 to 2010-11.

Finnish commercial broadcaster MTV3 renewed its television-rights deal for motorsport’s Formula One championship.

Ice Skating: The European Broadcasting Union acquired the rights for the World and European Championships and other events in a four-year deal with the International Skating Union, the sport's world governing…

Canal Plus and Nelonen pay a Finnish record fee for domestic ice hockey

EBU deal brings 10 per cent rights increase

Matching rights option exercised to secure €6 million per year, three-year deal

Baseball: America’s Major League Baseball signed seven-year deals with US national network Fox, extending its present contract but for a reduced amount of coverage, and with cable network TBS for a package of Sunday and post-season games.

Football: Italian public-service broadcaster Rai agreed a deal with the Sportfive agency for the rights to football’s Euro 2008 tournament.

The switch-over in Finland from analogue to digital-terrestrial television transmission could shake up the country’s “quiet and closed” sports-rights market.