Japan

Japanese public-service broadcaster NHK has acquired exclusive broadcast and exhibition rights to four editions of the Paralympic Games from 2018 to 2024 in a deal the International Paralympic Committee has hailed as the biggest in Paralympic broadcasting history.

The Fox International Channels broadcast division of media company 21st Century Fox has linked up with several Asian media companies to make its Fox Sports content available on an OTT basis in the region.

Broadcast platforms from Italy, Canada, Japan, Russia and Germany have agreed deals to provide coverage of the International Paralympic Committee’s 2015 Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships A-Pool.

MotoGP commercial rights-holder, the Dorna Sports agency, has said the 2015 season of the motorcycling championship will receive record global broadcast coverage.

Fox International Channels’ decision to sublicense German Bundesliga rights in Japan to the MP & Silva agency surprised industry observers this week. Something seemed to be the wrong way round – agencies buy to sell to broadcasters, not vice versa.

The International Olympic Committee has said it holds no plans to drive an extended roll out of ultra high-definition 4K coverage for the 2016 summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The MP & Silva agency has extended a deal to continue distributing rights to the Bundesliga, the top division of German football, to broadcasters in Japan.

Uefa earned a decent increase in the value of its club tournaments in Japan this month despite the minimal level of competition in the market.

MP & Silva has paid a significant increase for the rights in Japan to Euro 2016 in a deal finalised last month. The agency now faces a challenge to turn a profit on the deal.

The MP & Silva agency has secured the exclusive rights to distribute the Uefa Euro 2016 national team football tournament in Japan.

The New Japan Pro Wrestling organisation has secured its first rights deal in the US by agreeing a partnership with digital cable and satellite television broadcaster AXS TV.

Japanese pay-television operator SkyPerfecTV is in early talks over a renewal of its deal for the J-League domestic football competition, TV Sports Markets understands

Japanese commercial broadcaster Tokyo Broadcasting System has become the first Asian broadcaster to acquire rights for the Baku 2015 European Games multi-sport event.

Asian pay-television broadcaster Star Sports has reached an agreement with Japan Race Promotion for live rights in India to its Super Formula motor racing series.

The CAA Eleven agency completed a host of new deals for Uefa European Qualifiers rights at the end of July, with strong results in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

The MP & Silva agency has brokered a deal for mobile services provider MLJ to develop Italian Serie A football club Inter Milan’s digital products and services in Japan.

Japanese satellite television broadcaster Sky PerfecTV has acquired rights to the 2014-15 season of the Swiss Super League, the top division of Swiss football.

The International Olympic Committee and the Japan Consortium of broadcasters, which this month acquired exclusive Japanese rights to the Olympic Games from 2018 to 2024, are both likely to be happy with the deal, local experts say.