Japan

Football: German public-service broadcasters ARD and ZDF acquired the rights for up to 49 matches in football’s 2006 World Cup from Swiss agency Infront Sports & Media.

The revival of the India-Pakistan hockey test series after an interval of five years has attracted high television interest.

Fifa’s approach to the sale of the 2010 World Cup television rights is leading to major tensions among Asian broadcasters

Japanese broadcasters will have what look to be major advantages when they start negotiating for the television rights of the 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games next summer

Cricket: Indian broadcaster Zee Telefilms made a $308m (£174m/ €257m) bid for the worldwide television rights to Indian cricket for four years, from October 2004 to September 2008.

Olympics: The Japan Consortium, consisting of public-service broadcaster NHK and commercial broadcasters Fuji TV, NTV, TV Asahi, TBS and Tokyo TV, acquired the media rights for the 2010 and 2012 Olympics…

The International Olympic Committee’s deal in Japan for the rights for the 2010 and 2012 Olympics brings to an end a difficult, 18-month negotiation

Olympics: CCTV.com, the new-media arm of Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, acquired the new-media rights for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in a deal worth an estimated $7m (£3.5m/ €4.9m

Football: African broadcasters acquired the rights for the African Cup of Nations in a series of last-minute deals with the LC2 agency.  In Ghana, state broadcaster GTV acquired the rights for €1m (£686,000).

Motorsport: German pay-broadcaster Premiere extended its deal for live Formula One rights by one year, until the end of the 2007 season.

Cricket: Pan-Asian broadcaster ESPN Star Sports acquired the worldwide rights for International Cricket Council events from September 2007 through to 2015.

Sportfive outbid local agency Dentsu to win the Japanese rights for the English Premier League.

Uefa, European football’s governing body, is on course to bring in about £51 million for the 2008 European Championship outside Europe.

Football: The English Premier League signed deals in Asia, Australia and North America for its live rights for the three seasons from 2007-08 to 2009-10

Premier League rights fees in Japan fell by 30 per cent.

English football’s Premier League began its international audiovisual rights sales in dramatic style with massive first-round awards in three of its most competitive markets.