Ireland

The United States Tennis Association has confirmed a five-year deal with Amazon that grants the internet company exclusive live rights in the UK and Ireland to the US Open grand slam tournament.

A consortium led by French billionaire Xavier Niel has completed a deal to acquire a majority stake in telecommunications company Eir, whose pay-television broadcaster Eir Sport is a key player in the Irish sports rights market.

Irish commercial broadcaster TV3 has acquired rights for rugby union’s European Champions Cup, allowing viewers to watch free-to-air coverage of the competition for the first time since 2006.

The Pro14 cross-border rugby union league has said it is concluding talks over its next set of rights in the UK and Ireland, as the Welsh division of public-service broadcaster the BBC said it has been outbid in its effort to retain live coverage.

Telco BT will pay an increase of about 140 per cent to keep hold of exclusive MotoGP media rights in the UK and Ireland.

Racecourse Media Group, the holding company responsible for media and data rights involving a host of horse-racing destinations, has extended a partnership with SIS to include direct-to-home and streaming rights to all Irish racecourses and Chelmsford City horse-racing events.

UK pay-television broadcaster Sky has renewed an agreement for rights to Twenty20 cricket tournament the Indian Premier League.

Pay-television channel At The Races has renewed its deal for exclusive rights in the UK and Ireland to US horse-racing showpiece the Pegasus World Cup Invitational.

Irish pay-television broadcaster Eir Sport is set to oust rival Sky Sports as the domestic rights-holder of club rugby union competition the Pro14, according to The42 website.

Irish commercial broadcaster TV3, a major platform for sport in the country, is set to be rebranded as Virgin Media Television.

Ice hockey’s Spengler Cup will be broadcast in China, the UK, Ireland and Georgia for the first time when its 2017 edition takes place later this month.

A consortium led by French billionaire Xavier Niel has agreed a deal to acquire a majority stake in telecommunications company Eir, whose pay-television broadcaster Eir Sport is a key player in the Irish sports rights market.

The Irish Rugby Football Union roughly doubled the value of domestic rights to Ireland autumn internationals in a deal with public-service broadcaster RTÉ, and is still to sell rights in the UK.

Ireland’s Gaelic Athletic Association has been met with a fresh challenge to its rights deal with pay-television broadcaster Sky Sports after the Roscommon County Board passed a motion calling on the body to end the contract.

Irish public-service broadcaster RTÉ has renewed a deal for rights to Ireland’s autumn international rugby union fixtures.

Irish commercial broadcaster TV3 has acquired rights to the Formula E electric car-racing series.