Global
H.I.G.-owned Lagardère Sports restructures leadership team for new era
The Lagardère Sports and Entertainment agency has released details of its new organisational structure following its takeover by H.I.G.
DAZN seeks investors amid Covid-19 downturn
Len Blavatnik, the Ukraine-born billionaire who owns DAZN, is looking for investors to help shore up the sports streaming service's finances during the Covid-19 downturn, according to the Financial Times
SportBusiness Media 24:09
Inside this issue:
FOOTBALL: Bundesliga starts Asian sales with Sky PerfecTV deal in Japan
AMERICAN FOOTBALL: Amazon’s NFL renewal unlikely to herald major push in next cycle
ES
ESPN expands Korean baseball coverage to 130 territories
Global sports broadcaster ESPN has added coverage in 130 international territories to its existing US rights deal with the Korean Baseball Organisation
Swathe of second-tier cricket boards face challenging international rights sales
Six second-tier cricket boards are facing difficult market conditions as they attempt to sell their global rights, with existing problems exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
IMG Arena develops virtual Nascar betting product, secures streaming rights
IMG Arena, the sports betting arm of the IMG agency, is to begin offering bookmakers a virtual sports betting product for the Nascar US stock car racing series, along with distributing the international…
Fubo Sports Network goes live on Pluto TV
Fubo Sports Network has launched on Pluto TV, the free, ad-supported streaming service owned by US media group ViacomCBS
Brazilian clubs, federation ‘opt for expertise over cash’ in Brasileiro betting rights deal
Brazilian Série A football clubs and the Conferderação Brasileira de Futebol, the nation’s football association, may have learned the lessons of previous doomed tenders by opting for expertise over cash in its betting streaming and data rights deal for the 2020-23 cycle, experts told SportBusiness Media.
Twitch’s ESL/DreamHack deal lays blueprint for traditional media principles in esports
Twitch's three-year deal with ESL and DreamHack is a landmark for the streaming platform and another sign that the esports industry is adopting traditional media-rights principles.
Lefray exits as Team Marketing’s head of media rights sales
Stéphane Lefray, head of media rights sales at Team Marketing, has left the Luzern-based agency that markets the broadcast, sponsorship and licensing rights to Uefa club competitions.
Streaming platforms hold key to meeting post-Covid content glut
Pent-up appetite for sports viewing is expected to be released in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, giving rights-holders an opportunity to attract significant new audiences.
Returning Bundesliga quietly delivers record international audiences
The German Bundesliga attracted strong audiences in key global markets upon its return on Saturday, May 16, despite matches being played behind closed doors
Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans event launched
Automobile Club de l'Ouest, organiser of the 24 Hours of Le Mans motor racing event, has teamed up with the World Endurance Championship and Motorsport Games, the racing game developer and esports specialist,…
Amazon’s NFL renewal unlikely to herald major push in next cycle
The Thursday Night Football renewal between US tech and retail giant Amazon and the National Football League makes sense for both parties. But it does not mark a staging post from which Amazon could disrupt the make-up of the NFL’s main media-rights partners in the next cycle, US media experts say.
International Swimming League won’t delay D2C platform despite Covid-19 pandemic
The International Swimming League is working on two fronts to increase exposure and engagement levels ahead of its second season. It is in renewal talks with many of the broadcasters who covered the league’s inaugural season, while pushing ahead with the development of its own direct-to-consumer OTT platform.
IPC broadcast rights manager Vapaille on the move
Alexis Vapaille, broadcasting rights manager at the International Paralympic Committee, has left his role after working for eight years at the Bonn-based world governing body
European Athletics becomes latest rights-holder to turn to archive
European Athletics has become the latest sports organisation to delve into its archive to deliver content during the Covid-19 shutdown
Blast’s €12.5m funding to accelerate streaming platform plans
Blast, the esports tournament organiser owned by RFRSH Entertainment, has secured €12.5m ($13.5m) in a funding round led by Rocket Software chief executive Johan Gedda.