MENA
PIF to acquire $2bn majority stake in MBC
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has continued its pivot towards domestic investment with a move to acquire 54 per cent of Saudi media group MBC.
EBU lands 2026, 2030 World Cup rights in handful of markets
The European Broadcasting Union today (Monday) announced a new agreement with Fifa covering media rights in five countries for the next two men's World Cups
DAZN continues Saudi charm offensive with Riyadh Season deal
Ties between DAZN and Saudi Arabia have further strengthened after the international subscription broadcaster struck a major media deal covering Riyadh Season, the Kingdom's entertainment and sports festival
BeIN extends NBA rights in Mena with days to spare
BeIN Sports has signed a new deal to show the 2024-25 National Basketball Association season live in the Mena region, announced three days before the first pre-season game.
More questions from beIN in LFP payment standoff
BeIN Sports continues to withhold its first instalment payment for Ligue 1 rights amid ongoing doubts over its allocated sponsorship inventory and questions raised over the broadcaster’s media rights package.
Iris tasked with E1 media rights distribution
Iris Sport Media has been appointed to distribute media rights to the UIM E1 World Championship, the electric powerboat racing series that launched earlier this year with a season opener in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
DAZN furthers Saudi links with SPL channels
DAZN has struck an agreement to launch club-specific Saudi Pro League channels, its latest effort to develop closer commercial ties in the Kingdom
EXCLUSIVE: DAZN streaming ends WTA’s Mena blackout
WTA Tour broadcast coverage has returned to the Middle East and North Africa following a near three-year blackout with DAZN committing to free streaming until the end of the 2024 season, SportBusiness…
BeIN adds EFL to latest spate of Mena renewals
BeIN Media Group has struck a new rights deal for the English Football League, covering 27 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, France, Australia and New Zealand
BeIN hones in on Uefa club rights renewal in Mena
Extensive and exclusive Uefa club competition coverage in the Middle East and North Africa is set to remain on beIN Sports for the next three seasons, SportBusiness understands.
LaLiga, beIN make peace in Mena, APAC deals
LaLiga and incumbent broadcast rights-holder beIN Media Group appear to have put any lingering quarrels to bed by signing off two rights agreements spanning the Middle East and North Africa, plus the Asia-Pacific…
IMG secures Saudi football production remit to 2029
IMG has widened its remit with the Saudi Pro League (SPL) in a five-season production agreement that adds to its existing role in selling the competition’s international broadcast rights.
Fifa starts over with Club World Cup rights tender
Fifa is inviting bids for broadcast rights to its revamped Club World Cup in different international markets after negotiations over a global streaming deal with Apple broke down
Infront nets Bundesliga sales remit in cluster of European markets
Bundesliga International has turned to Infront to manage media rights sales in 10 mainly Central and Eastern European countries in the agency's third multi-territory distribution deal in quick succession with a major European league.
DAZN looks to flagship WTA, Fiba events in Mena to stir broadcast interest
Rights sales processes are being issued in Mena for WTA Tour and Fiba basketball, SportBusiness understands, as DAZN’s Broadcast Partnerships arm seeks to maximise the impact of major events in the region and end the Tour blackout.
DAZN steps in to show US Masters in Mena region
DAZN has continued in its attempts to carve out a niche in golf in a deal for exclusive rights to golf’s 2024 US Masters in the Middle East and North Africa.
UFC switches to Starzplay in Mena as UAE ties deepen
Starzplay has secured an exclusive multi-year deal for UFC rights in the Middle East and North Africa, a region in which the mixed martial arts behemoth has cemented its position over recent years
DAZN to offer additional PGA Tour feeds across Mena, SE Asia
DAZN is to exclusively offer additional live feeds from the PGA Tour across 27 countries in the Middle East and North Africa and Southeast Asia, and will also distribute the Tour’s FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) Channel.