Middle East
Bids, bailouts and plots form backdrop of Serie A’s YouTube experiment
Italy’s Serie A will continue to make its matches available for free on YouTube in the Middle East and North Africa for the remainder of the 2021-22 season, despite receiving bids from broadcasters in the region.
HBA Media adds seven new broadcasters for Saudi Cup
The HBA Media agency has secured seven new broadcast rights-holders for the Saudi Cup, as it expands coverage of the annual horse racing fixture for the third consecutive year
WSC Sports plans expansion after $100m Series D fundraising
Israel-based automated highlights company WSC Sports has raised investments totalling $100m (€88.2m) from a Series D funding round led by Israeli investment management company Ion Crossover Partners.
DAZN names film producer and media magnate Giladi as president of broadcast partnerships
Film producer Aviv Giladi has today (Monday) been named as the president of broadcast partnerships at DAZN Group, the global sports subscription service and media company
Sony acquires rights for Legends League Cricket
Indian pay-television broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks has acquired media rights for the inaugural edition of Legends League Cricket, a competition featuring retired star cricket players from around…
Pixellot rolls out AI production in UAE with Cam Plus Sport
Automated sports broadcast production and analytics company Pixellot has expanded into the United Arab Emirates through an agreement with Dubai-based sports broadcast system integrator Cam Plus Sport
Falling Japanese market drags down AFC global rights value
A large decrease in Japan has dragged down the global value of Asian Football Confederation media rights by at least 13 per cent in the 2021-24 cycle.
BeIN lands Arab Cup rights in Mena region ahead of kick-off
Pay-television broadcaster beIN Media Group has acquired rights to national team football tournament the 2021 Fifa Arab Cup in 24 countries across the Middle East and North Africa
BeIN broadcasting Qatar’s World Padel Championship, distributing rights
Pay-television broadcaster beIN Media Group has acquired exclusive rights to the postponed 2020 World Padel Championship across 37 territories spanning the Middle East and North Africa, Asia-Pacific and…
EXCLUSIVE: Israeli league to overhaul match statistics, tactical video streaming model
The Israeli Professional Football League and its member clubs are set to implement a new league-wide model of physiological data collection along with tactical video capturing and live streaming, with…
Court rejects beIN’s Selevision Saudi counterclaim but flags piracy link
London’s High Court of Justice has rejected a counterclaim made by pay-television broadcaster beIN Media Group against Selevision Saudi, but highlighted evidence that raises a “serious issue” over the S…
Middle East thaw resets market but glory days unlikely to return
Diplomatic processes put in place in 2021 to heal the rift between Saudi Arabia and Qatar have brought an end to the four-and-half-year dispute, sparking hope that the region’s sports broadcasting market will soon revert to normality.
Saudi Sports Company announces NFL rights acquisition
Saudi Arabian state-owned media company Saudi Sports Company has announced its acquisition of National Football League rights.
The broadcaster has announced a three-year agreement for the rights
Etisalat, StarzPlay to broadcast, stream T20 World Cup exclusively in Mena
Emirati telco Etisalat has secured exclusive media rights in the Middle East and North Africa to the International Cricket Council Men's Twenty20 World Cup 2021 as part of a "ground-breaking collaboration…
Blast Premier secures Hebrew-language deal with Israel’s Gaming Channel
Esports tournament organiser Blast Premier has agreed an exclusive Hebrew-language deal with the Gaming Channel, Israel’s first 24/7 linear esports and gaming channel.
Rise Worldwide appointed as exclusive agency of Abu Dhabi T10 league
Sports marketing company Rise Worldwide has been appointed as the exclusive commercial and media rights agency for the Abu Dhabi T10 cricket league in a multi-year mandate
AFC agrees rights deal with Oman Sport Channel for World Cup qualifiers
State-backed broadcaster Oman Sport Channel has picked up the media rights to the Asian zone qualifiers for the 2022 Fifa World Cup
ACB pens rights renewals in Turkey and Israel
The Liga ACB, Spain’s top-flight basketball competition, has struck deals with broadcasters in Turkey and Israel, continuing its spree of renewals in recent weeks.