Netherlands

The European Commission is thought likely to rule early next year that Dutch public-service broadcaster NOS must pay back state subsidies

Television audiences of the drivers and manufacturers’ home markets reflect rise and fall

The Dutch and Belgian domestic football leagues, whose pioneering television-rights deals with telecom companies started this month, have begun their seasons with the bulk of live matches accessible to only a handful of intrepid subscribers

Football: French commercial broad-caster TF1 acquired the free-to-air Champions League rights for a further three-years, from 2006-07 to 2008-09

Dutch public-service broadcaster NOS has filled the gaping hole in its schedule with two top foreign football leagues

Basketball: Spanish commercial broadcaster La Sexta acquired the rights to this year’s basketball World Championships in a deal with Fiba, the international basketball federation.

Football: Spanish Primera Liga champions FC Barcelona agreed a long-term deal with the Mediapro agency which guarantees the club at least €1bn (£685m) for its domestic and international television rights for the seven years from 2006-07 to 2012-13.

Sportfive has postponed the selling of Euro 2008 pay-television rights in the Netherlands after the only bidder offered less than €500,000.

Olympics: Brazilian free-to-air broadcaster TV Record acquired the Brazilian media rights across all platforms for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and the 2012 Olympics Games in London in a $60m (£31m/€45m) de…

Football: New Spanish commercial channel La Sexta, which launched last week, acquired the rights to this year’s World Cup.

American football:  The US National Football League signed two more television deals: an eight-year deal with Disney-owned sports cable network ESPN for Monday night games, worth $1.

The Team Marketing agency has secured good increases in television-rights fees for the next round of Champions League deals

Football: Dutch pay-broadcaster UPC acquired the pay-television rights for the Champions League from 2006 to 2009 (Page 7)

Bidders in the Netherlands and Belgium to submit new bids because the initial offers were too low.

Football:  The Dentsu agency acquired the rights in Japan to all Fifa events from 2007 to 2014, including the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, in a deal with world football’s governing body.

Experts not convinced €30.5 million a season investment will be successful.