MENA

The Fox Networks Group division of media company 21st Century Fox has acquired exclusive rights to broadcast all racing from sailing’s 35th America’s Cup in the Netherlands, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Israel.

The Discovery Networks Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) division of international media company Discovery Communications has appointed Sascha Kojic, formerly of the MP & Silva agency, to the newly created role of vice-president of sports for the CEEMEA region.

The Infront Sports & Media agency has secured new broadcast rights deals for the Champions Hockey League in Latin America, Israel, Latvia and France ahead of the finale of the second season of the pan-European club ice hockey competition.

The Sporty Solutionz agency has broadened the reach of the Masters Champions League for the debut season of the Twenty20 cricket competition by striking rights deals covering the Middle East, Pakistan, sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean.

The threat of an OTT player entering the local television market helped Israel’s Premier League to a 198-per-cent increase in the value of its media rights last month.

Pay-television broadcaster the Sports Channel has extended an exclusive rights deal in Israel with North American basketball league the NBA.

Racecourse Media Group, the holding company responsible for a range of media and data rights involving 34 of the UK’s premier racecourses, has secured a deal to simulcast live coverage of the Dubai World Cup Carnival horse racing series in the Caribbean, as well as North, Central and South America.

Israeli pay-television broadcaster Charlton has secured rights to the Premier League, the top division of football in the country, after reportedly paying a significantly increased sum for all three packages on offer.

The Sporty Solutionz agency has acquired exclusive worldwide distribution rights for the new Masters Champions League cricket tournament.

Israeli pay-television broadcaster Charlton has agreed a three-season extension to its rights deal for the English Premier League club football competition.

Israel’s Premier League is targeting an increase of at least 29 per cent in the value of its domestic media rights, with three packages of rights on the market.

Satellite Information Services, a provider of end-to-end products and services to the betting and broadcast industries, has extended its exclusive licensed betting offices rights deal with Dubai’s Meydan Racecourse for a further two years.

Lagardère Sports, the sports marketing division of conglomerate Lagardère, has been named the host broadcaster of the Dubai Marathon under a three-year deal.

Racecourse Media Group, the holding company responsible for a range of media and data rights involving 34 of the UK’s premier racecourses, has agreed a deal to distribute Dubai-based Meydan Group’s international broadcast rights.

BeIN Media Group this week finalised its acquisition of English Premier League rights in the Middle East and North Africa, and is close to taking two properties – Uefa European Qualifiers and Wimbledon – from its main local rival, Abu Dhabi Media.

BeIN Media Group has agreed a three-season extension to its broadcast rights deal for football’s English Premier League in the Middle East and North Africa region.

UK sports production and media company Sunset+Vine has been awarded the broadcast production contract for new Twenty20 cricket competition the Pakistan Super League.

BeIN Media Group has confirmed it is expanding into entertainment and movie channels whilst launching a new sports channel, 13 HD, in the Middle East and North Africa.