Global

Sean Bratches, Formula One’s managing director of commercial operations, has hit out at the motor racing series’ broadcast rights model inherited by the previous regime led by Bernie Ecclestone, stating that a focus on pay-television, especially in the UK market, has been detrimental to the sport.

Social media platform Twitter has agreed a deal to live stream matches from US ice hockey competition the National Women’s Hockey League.

ATP Media, the broadcast arm of professional men’s tennis circuit the ATP World Tour, has launched a production venture in partnership with the IMG Studios division of the IMG agency.

Germany’s Handball-Bundesliga (HBL) has opted to take the marketing of its international broadcast rights in-house, with Scandinavia outlined as a key target market under the new approach.

Football Federation Australia has agreed a six-season international media-rights distribution deal with the IMG agency.

The MP & Silva agency has been appointed as the exclusive global media-rights adviser for the Colombian Baseball League and the Serie Latinoamericana pan-continental competition.

Organisers of the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, England, will stream live coverage of the multi-sport event through the WorldParaAthletics.org website.

The FIH, the global governing body of hockey, has agreed rights deals with a number of broadcasters in various regions around the world.

Motorsport Network, the automotive and motorsport digital technology business, has appointed Kevin Annison as president of its Motorsport.tv motor-racing media platform.

The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and the World Bridge Federation (WBF) have become the latest sports bodies to agree content partnerships with the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Channel.

The World Boxing Super Series believes its unique format will make boxing a “profit-and-loss” proposition for broadcasters, as opposed to a series of one-off investments.

Motorsport Network, the automotive and motorsport digital technology business that operates international motor-racing media platform Motorsport.tv and the Motorsport.com website, has hired Colin Smith as its new chief executive.

UK sports production and media company Sunset+Vine has been appointed as the exclusive global distribution agency for the 2017-18 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race sailing event.

Formula One is focusing on developing its own OTT broadcast model in a move that will lead to a change in the way rights agreements are negotiated for the motor-racing world championship, according to the series’ chairman, Chase Carey.

Social media company Twitter has reached an agreement with video games developer Riot Games Oceania to stream live coverage of the upcoming League of Legends: League of Origin esports event.

Korean consumer electronics company Samsung has signed virtual reality content partnerships with the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts promotion and action sports series the X Games, while Modern Times Group, the multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster, has launched a new VR platform.

Social video production, editing and sharing platform Tellyo has entered into a partnership with rugby union league the Pro12.

The Six Nations has increased the value of its international media rights by at least 20 per cent in a renewal with Pitch International, while choosing to retain rights in the US and Canada.