Nordics

Football: The English Football Association agreed a deal with sports agency Sportfive for second-party rights for England’ home friendly internationals, giving Sportfive the rights for selling to broadcasters i…

Collapse of Norwegian agency leaves EHF wary and determined to demand financial guarantees in future

Danmarks Radio accused of not fulfilling its role as a public-service broadcaster

Football: English football’s Premier League began the sales for its next round of international television rights, covering the three-year period from 2004-05 to 2006-07). 

Rights sales process up and running with auctions in different territories

Football: UK commercial broadcaster ITV said that it was interested in acquiring a package of eight live Premier League matches a season from satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting as long as the…

Negotiations upcoming with Union Cycliste Internationale and individual event organisers about World Championship and World Cup events

Cricket: Pan-Asian satellite channel Ten Sports agreed a sub-licensing deal with Indian state broadcaster Doordarshan for highlights of the forthcoming Indian tour of Pakistan

Public service broadcaster DR pushed out of the bidding by fierce competition between Modern Times Group and TV2

The possibility that media company Modern Times Group could take a majority stake in Danish public-service broadcaster TV2 is causing considerable concern in the Danish television-sports industry

Cycling: Italian public-service broadcaster Rai agreed a four-year deal with the European Broadcasting Union, from 2005 to 2008, for coverage of the Tour de France. 

Football: Sports agency Sportfive acquired the worldwide international television rights for the German Bundesliga in a two-year deal, from 2004-05 to 2005-06, paying over €15m (£10m) per season.

Pan-Scandinavian pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus Nordic is planning to bid for the exclusive television rights across the region for Formula 1

A landmark investigation by the Swedish tax authority into whether television-rights income should be subject to tax could have major financial implications

Handball: Danish public-service broadcaster Danmarks Radio acquired the rights to both men’s and women’s Champions League competitions from the European Handball Federation in a five-year deal, from 2006-07 to 2010-11.

American Football:  The National Football League signed new deals with three of its five major US television partners – the CBS and Fox networks and digital satellite platform DirecTV

Pan-European broadcaster Eurosport is to launch a new channel

Public pressure forced reluctant Swedish pay-channel Viasat Sport 1 to buy the rights in a last-minute deal for the national football team’s away friendly match