Nordics

Commercial and pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group has acquired rights in Denmark for the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts series.

Discovery Communications’ ambition to strengthen its market position in the Nordics helped Norway’s football league defy all expectations in the sale of its media rights last week.

US sports broadcaster ESPN, which organises the X Games, has agreed multi-year rights deals for the action sports franchise in Denmark, Sweden and Finland which include coverage of the new X Games Oslo event in Norway.

FIDE, the global governing body of chess, has secured its first long-term media rights deal through a new partnership with Norwegian public-service broadcaster NRK.

Specialist equestrian sports and lifestyle television channel Horse & Country has acquired the OTT subscription business of Swedish channel Horse1.

The Discovery Networks Norway division of international media company Discovery Communications has acquired domestic rights for the Tippeligaen, the top division of Norwegian football.

Pan-Nordic pay-television broadcaster C More has confirmed it will launch a new golf channel in Sweden on January 1, 2016.

Norwegian public-service broadcaster NRK renewed two vital skiing rights deals last month, agreeing to pay decent increases for both.

Media and entertainment company Discovery Communications, which operates the Eurosport Norge pay-television channel, would consider an alliance over Norwegian football league rights in the country with public-service broadcaster NRK, according to the Kampanje news website.

The Fotball Media agency, which distributes the rights for the Tippeligaen on behalf of the Norwegian Football Federation, has opened a tender process for the rights to the top division of the domestic game, along with the second-tier 1. Divisjon.

Finnish commercial and pay-television broadcaster Nelonen is set to reduce its investment in sports rights, experts say, following its move to cut jobs and dismantle its sport department.

Swedish public-service broadcaster SVT has acquired rights for motor-racing’s World Rallycross Championship.

Norwegian public-service broadcaster NRK has extended rights deals with the country’s national ski association and Fis, skiing’s global governing body.

Media and entertainment company Discovery Communications has acquired rights in Denmark for the top divisions of football in England, Spain and Italy in a sublicensing deal with commercial and pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group.

Commercial and pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group has acquired rights in the Nordic region for North America’s Major League Baseball World Series.

Increasing the value of its media rights is an essential bargaining chip for the Euroleague as it faces a threat to its long-term survival from Fiba, the sport’s global governing body.