Netherlands

Year-end subscriber figures for football-driven pay-television over telephone networks in Europe will neither excite the enthusiasts nor worry traditional television.

Football: Italian broadcaster Mediaset acquired the broadcast rights across any medium to top Serie A club Inter Milan in a two-year deal worth €200m (£137m), covering the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons.

Sportfive, Kentaro, IMG get plenty of ties against the big five teams; Infront do not fare so well

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.

The battle between F1 legend Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso boosted television audiences in three of Europe’s top five markets this season.

The opening two matchweeks of football’s Champions League have got good audiences for the competition’s new rights holders.

Uefa is in talks with clubs, leagues and football associations about a possible overhaul of European club competitions.

Poor viewing for the European athletics championships in Gothenburg will not help the European Athletics Association get the fee increase it is trying to get.

Football: Portuguese public-service broadcaster RTP acquired the rights to the national team’s Euro 2008 home qualifiers and friendlies in a two-year deal, 2006-07 to 2007-08, with the Olivedesportos agency

Olympics: Korean free-to-air broadcaster SBS acquired the rights for four Olympic Games from 2010 to 2016.

Football: Spanish agency Mediapro made a seven-year offer worth €1.19bn (£815m), or €170m a season, for the television rights to Spanish Primera Liga club Real Madrid covering the seasons from 2008-09 to 2014-15.

High-profile doping scandals hit television viewing for this year’s Tour de France.