North America
TSN, RDS sign long-term French Open extension
Canadian pay-television sports broadcaster TSN and French-language sister channel RDS have agreed a multi-year extension to a rights deal for the French Open tennis grand slam.
ESPN, ABC pick up Premier Boxing Champions rights
US pay-television sports broadcaster ESPN and the ABC network has acquired rights for the Premier Boxing Champions series.
CRTC rejects Bell complaint over Rogers NHL app
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the country’s media regulator, has dismissed a complaint by Bell Media that rival telecommunications company Rogers is unfairly offering exclusive access to its GamePlus mobile application.
Showtime returns for Brook’s title defence
US cable television broadcaster Showtime has acquired rights to British boxer Kell Brook’s IBF world welterweight title defence against Jo Jo Dan on March 28.
Orlando City secures regional rights deal
North American Major League Soccer club Orlando City has signed a multi-year local rights deal with Sun Sports / Fox Sports Florida, a regional subsidiary of the Fox Sports network.
Fox deal spares Fifa further court appearance and possible exposure of 2022 award process
Fifa avoided the prospect of going back into a US court by agreeing to extend its World Cup rights deal with Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Sports last month. But getting off the legal hook comes at a price, in terms of questions about Fifa’s governance and also, possibly, in having sold the rights at well below market value.
Did Fifa get the best possible deal from the US market?
Formula Drift secures multi-year CBS Sports deal
US pay-television broadcaster CBS Sports Network has struck a deal to broadcast coverage of the Formula Drift motor racing series.
Houston Dynamo extends with Spanish-language partner
Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo has extended a media-rights deal with the Telemundo Houston regional arm of US Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo.
KlowdTV nets beIN Media partnership in US
US streaming platform KlowdTV has broadened its football portfolio by agreeing a carriage deal with pay-television broadcaster beIN Media Group in the United States.
HBO breaks new ground with launch of streaming service
US pay-television broadcaster HBO has confirmed that its new standalone streaming service will launch in April, offering customers access to its sports content outside packages offered by pay-television operators.
NGSN launches new digital football channel in US
Next Generation Sports Network (NGSN) has launched a beta version of its digital sports channel in the US.
Roku to show Red Bull TV content
Online sports and entertainment channel Red Bull TV has agreed a carriage deal with streaming platform Roku.
Universal Sports Network offers US platform for LA Marathon
US pay-television broadcaster Universal Sports Network has acquired rights to the 2015 Los Angeles Marathon.
Major League Baseball shuts MLB Productions division
Major League Baseball has opted to close MLB Productions, the league’s in-house television and video production division, with its operations set to be folded into the remit of its pay-television service MLB Network.
World Cup of Hockey rights deals confirmed in North America
The NHL North American ice hockey league and the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA) has confirmed the award of media rights to US pay-television sports broadcaster ESPN and Canadian media company Rogers Communications for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
FC Dallas extends local rights deal
North American Major League Soccer franchise FC Dallas has extended its local rights deal with TXA 21, a channel owned by the CBS network.
NCAA Digital launches March Madness YouTube channel
NCAA Digital, a joint venture between the Turner Sports division of US cable-television broadcaster Turner Broadcasting Systems and the National Collegiate Athletic Association, has launched a channel on video-sharing website YouTube for this year’s NCAA March Madness basketball tournament.