North America

US network NBC is predicting advertising revenue of close to $1.4bn (€1.17bn) from next month’s broadcasts of the Super Bowl, the showpiece game of the NFL American football league, and the 2018 winter Olympic Games.

The Fox Sports division of US network Fox has appointed Mark Silverman to the position of president of national networks, along with signing partnerships with Twitter, Snapchat and Hisense to bolster its coverage of the 2018 Fifa World Cup national team football tournament.

International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports has acquired rights in a number of territories to the G League, the NBA basketball league’s developmental competition.

French telco Altice, which operates pay-television broadcaster SFR Sport, has revealed plans to split its European and US operations, as well as form a new pay-television unit which will include its major sports rights.

US technology firm Intel has partnered with the NBC Sports Group division of media company NBCUniversal, rights-holder for the Olympic Games in the United States, to unveil significant virtual reality coverage plans for the forthcoming winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

US television audience ratings for American football’s NFL fell 9.7 per cent in the 2017 season, marking the second consecutive year of decline.

North America’s National Lacrosse League has agreed a streaming-rights partnership with social media platform Facebook.

Telco Verizon has struck a deal with media company A+E Networks to show coverage of North America’s National Women’s Soccer League.

The Minnesota Vikings has become the first NFL American football franchise to launch a virtual reality mobile application.

American football league the NFL has issued a request for proposal concerning its Thursday Night Football rights package, with the document reportedly outlining that a contract could be solely sealed by an online streaming provider for the first time.

US sports broadcaster ESPN has agreed a deal with the National Collegiate Athletic Association for rights to its Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship.

Bob Bowman, Major League Baseball’s former president of business and media, has admitted he was “inappropriate” at times after the Wall Street Journal reported that the executive had recently been forced out after years of troubling behaviour.

US sports broadcaster ESPN has added live mobile streaming of Monday Night Football games to its coverage of the NFL American football league.

Canadian public-service broadcaster CBC has sealed a sublicensing deal with Rogers Media to continue showing the Hockey Night in Canada programme and the Stanley Cup playoffs – the conclusion of the NHL North American ice hockey season.

John Skipper has resigned from his position as president of US sports broadcaster ESPN, citing a substance addiction problem.

US media company NBCUniversal has expanded its agreement with the NFL to cover mobile rights for the American football league’s Sunday Night Football games.