France

France’s competition authority, l'Autorité de la Concurrence, will scrutinise a proposed collaboration between media company Vivendi and pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports France, according to reports in the country.

John Manning, research analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence, reviews the most-watched events of 2015 in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus has agreed a one-season extension to its rights deal for US motor racing series IndyCar.

Vivendi chairman Vincent Bolloré has held a meeting with leading French football executives in an effort to reassure them over a potential collaboration between the media company and pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports France, according to reports.

Media company CSI Sports, the owner of pay-television channel Fight Sports, has agreed a carriage deal with French pay-television operator Bouygues Telecom.

The Infront Sports & Media agency has secured new broadcast rights deals for the Champions Hockey League in Latin America, Israel, Latvia and France ahead of the finale of the second season of the pan-European club ice hockey competition.

Fifa secured only a small increase in the value of the men’s World Cup in France last month, signing deals with TF1 and beIN Sports for its 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

French digital-terrestrial television channel L’Équipe 21 has agreed a rights deal for events from kickboxing promotion the Glory World Series.

UK-based production company Input Media has signed a two-year extension, from 2016 to 2017, to continue to produce content from the French Open grand slam tournament on behalf of the French Tennis Federation.

Vincent Bolloré, chief executive of media company Vivendi, has held talks about agreeing a carriage deal with, and acquiring a stake in, pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports France – according to a report in French newspaper Libération.

Canal Plus’s recent loss of English Premier League rights in France helped the value of Coupe de la Ligue media rights increase by 119 per cent last month.

French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus has acquired exclusive rights for the basketball qualifying tournaments ahead of the 2016 summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

French public-service broadcaster France Télévisions has acquired rights for the men’s Davis Cup and women’s Fed Cup national team tennis tournaments.

French public-service broadcaster France Télévisions has struck a deal to show coverage of the latter stages of the 2016 men’s and women’s European Handball Championships.

The French Cycling Federation (FFC) has awarded rights in France to public-service broadcaster France Télévisions and the Eurosport France division of pan-European sports broadcaster Eurosport.

Fifa, football’s global governing body, has awarded pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports and commercial broadcaster TF1 rights in France for the 2018 and 2022 editions of the World Cup.

French digital-terrestrial television channel L’Équipe 21 has renewed its rights deal with the Motocross World Championship (MXGP) motorcycling series.

International sports broadcaster Eurosport has acquired rights in France to the Coppa Italia club football knockout tournament.