North America
Judge approves AT&T’s $85bn Time Warner deal
A US federal judge has approved a takeover of US media company Time Warner by telco AT&T, rejecting an appeal by the Department of Justice against the proposed $85.4bn (€71.29bn) merger, with analysts predicting the ruling will embolden companies that are seeking major acquisitions of its type.
FloSports strengthens cycling portfolio with UCI rights in Canada
Sports-streaming service FloSports has acquired rights in Canada for major events operated by the International Cycling Union (UCI).
Conference USA partners up with ESPN+
ESPN+, the US sports broadcaster’s subscription streaming service, has further bolstered its college sports lineup through a new, multi-year agreement with Conference USA.
TSN and RDS go OTT ahead of World Cup
Bell Media-owned Canadian pay-television broadcasters TSN and RDS have launched new OTT platforms ahead of their coverage of national team football tournament the Fifa World Cup.
SportBusiness Postgraduate Course Rankings 2018 | European universities continue to innovate and inspire
SportBusiness International spoke to leaders representing Europe's top three courses about how they are staying ahead of their rivals from across the continent.
Telemundo pens World Cup content deal with Google, YouTube
Telemundo, the holder of Spanish-language rights to the Fifa World Cup in the US, has agreed deals with internet company Google and its video-sharing website YouTube to share its coverage of the national team football tournament.
ESPN takes UFC exclusively as Fox opts for WWE rights instead
Doubling up with ESPN will earn the Ultimate Fighting Championship $300m (€258m) per year from media-rights sales from 2019 to 2023 – a good result given the absence of aggressive bidding from incumbent Fox.
Uefa earns modest increase for club competitions in Canada
Uefa has earned a decent increase in the value of its club competition rights in Canada via a deal with Perform-owned streaming platform DAZN.
PGA Tour adopts new global rights strategy with ‘pioneering’ Discovery deal
US golf organisation the PGA Tour has taken on a new strategy for its international rights by striking a “pioneering” strategic alliance with media company Discovery.
Atlantic 10 Conference strengthens ESPN ties with streaming deal
US college sports organisation the Atlantic 10 Conference has expanded its partnership with ESPN by striking a new multi-year rights deal focusing on the sports broadcaster’s subscription streaming service, ESPN+.
Fox Sports adds Monterrey to Liga MX line-up
Pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports Latin America has further enhanced its portfolio of clubs from Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican club football, by agreeing a five-year rights deal with Club Rayados Monterrey.
FloSports picks up the Rugby Channel
Sports-streaming service FloSports has sealed a deal to acquire the Rugby Channel from Rugby International Marketing, the commercial arm of USA Rugby.
DAZN pounces for Uefa club competition rights in Canada
DAZN, the OTT service operated by digital sports media company Perform, has acquired exclusive rights in Canada for football’s Uefa Champions League and Europa League.
Perform/Matchroom plan big spend to enter US boxing ring
The ‘$1bn’ joint venture between the Perform Group and Matchroom Boxing does not guarantee either company that amount in revenue. But the headline number does signal how much the joint venture is willing to spend on attracting top-level fighters
ESPN becomes exclusive UFC home in US
ESPN has confirmed that it has struck a deal to acquire exclusive rights to all UFC mixed martial arts programming in the US from 2019, dislodging the Fox network as a rights-holder and building on an initial agreement announced earlier this month.
Comcast confirms ‘well advanced’ plans for Fox assets bid
Comcast confirmed today (Wednesday) that it is “in the advanced stages of preparing” an all-cash offer for a significant share of rival US media company 21st Century Fox’s business assets, challenging a deal struck in December between the latter and media giant Walt Disney.
ESPN Deportes scores Super Bowl rights
Spanish-language sports broadcaster ESPN Deportes has struck a deal to show next season’s NFL American football Super Bowl in the US.
Racing powerhouses team up to back new media company
Horse racing powerhouses Victoria Racing Club, Ascot and Goodwood Racecourses and the Breeders’ Cup have signed up as founding partners of a new media company that has launched today (Tuesday) and is designed to drive exposure for the sport across digital platforms.