France

Multi-sport

French digital-terrestrial television channel L’Equipe 21 has acquired rights for the Baku 2015 European Games multi-sport event.

Football

François Pellissier, the director of sports at French commercial broadcaster TF1, has said that its Sunday morning Téléfoot programme will only be able to show clips of goals from the previous weekend of action from January 1.

Bertrand Méheut, the chief executive of Canal Plus, has said that he is “happy” that rival French pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports has entered the market.

Volleyball

Pan-European sports broadcaster Eurosport has agreed a deal with the Ligue Nationale de Volley for the rights to the Ligue A Féminine, the top division of French women’s volleyball.
Baseball

French pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports has increased its portfolio of North American major league rights by acquiring the exclusive rights to the 2014 World Series, the championship series of Major League Baseball.

Rugby Union

France Télévisions last week agreed a deal covering the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, taking European Professional Club Rugby to a strong rights fee from the French market.

Athletics

French pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports has broadened the reach of its new beIN Sports 3 channel by agreeing a carriage deal with satellite television operator Fransat.

Rugby Union

The Court of Appeal in Paris has dismissed an appeal by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby and pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus over the decision to suspend their rights deal for the Top 14 rugby union league.

Football

Jacques Lambert, the head of the local organising committee for the Uefa Euro 2016, is hopeful more games from the national team football tournament in France will end up being shown on free-to-air television in the country.

Rugby Union

French public-service broadcaster France Televisions has finalised a rights deal for coverage of rugby union’s new European club tournaments.

Francois Pellissier has been named as the new head of sports-rights acquisitions at French commercial broadcaster TF1.

Athletics

Mike Kiernan, analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence, examines television audiences in key European markets for last month’s European Athletics Championships

Football

French basic-tier sports broadcaster Ma Chaîne Sport has acquired rights for the Greek Super League, the top division of football in the country.

Ice Hockey

French media group L’Equipe has signed a one-year extension to its rights deal with the French Ice Hockey Federation (FFHG), covering the 2014-15 season of the Ligue Magnus, the top division of ice hockey in the country.

Football

French pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports picked up the rights to the Argentinian Primera División this week in a deal with the Pitch International agency.

Cycling

Eurosport France, the French arm of the pan-regional broadcaster, has renewed its non-exclusive domestic rights to cycling’s Tour de France.

Rugby Union

French pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports easily beat its main rival Canal Plus to land rights to European rugby’s new club tournaments, adding evidence to claims that the previously intense competition between the two broadcasters is cooling.

Rugby Union

The Court of Appeal in Paris has set a date of October 9 to deliver its verdict in the appeal by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby and pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus over the decision to suspend their rights deal for the Top 14 rugby union league.