North America

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE), a company that owns and operates live sports events, has completed the acquisition of InterMedia Outdoors Holdings, a US media group and channel operator dedicated to outdoor sports.

Satellite-television provider DirecTV and telecommunications company AT&T have been granted permission to launch Root Sports Houston, a new US network that will provide coverage of Houston Astros MLB baseball and Houston Rockets NBA basketball games, according to the Houston Chronicle newspaper.

Filipino telecommunications company Globe Telecom has agreed a multi-year deal with the North American NBA basketball league to jointly develop and distribute various video content services in the Philippines.

US pay-per-view and closed circuit sports events distributor Integrated Sports Media has acquired rights to new franchise-based competition the International Premier Tennis League.

The SportSouth channel operated by regional US pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports South has extended a rights deal with the North American NBA basketball franchise the Atlanta Hawks.

North American stock car-racing series Nascar has agreed a content partnership with US cable and satellite broadcaster Nickelodeon.

Houston Astros MLB baseball and Houston Rockets NBA basketball games will be provided to a much wider television audience after a judge approved a bankruptcy reorganisation plan involving the two teams’ local rights-holder, Comcast SportsNet Houston.

The IEC in Sports and RDA TV agencies will provide free live streaming of Saturday’s USA v New Zealand rugby union international in 127 territories, through the backing of match presenting sponsor AIG.

The WWE wrestling organisation has revamped the subscription model for its WWE Network in an effort to attract more subscribers to the streaming service, adding that it is set to launch in the UK market in November.

Interview with Gary Stevenson, president and managing director of MLS Business Ventures, on the new MLS/SUM eight-year deal with IMG Events & Media.

Major League Baseball franchise the Arizona Diamondbacks is close to extending its regional rights deal with Fox Sports Arizona, the local affiliate of Fox Sports Networks, according to the Azcentral.com news website.

US Spanish-language broadcasters Telemundo and mun2, both of which are owned by media company NBCUniversal, have committed to showing 188 matches from events operated by football’s global governing body Fifa in 2015.

Canadian public-service broadcaster the CBC has acquired rights for the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games in partnership with telecommunications company Rogers Communications and media company BCE, which operates Bell Media.

UK pay-television broadcaster BSkyB has made a $7m (€5.5m) investment in US cross-platform media network Whistle Sports.

Madison Square Garden Company, which owns US regional pay-television channels MSG Network and MSG Plus, along with major league franchises the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers, has proposed to spin-off its media and sports businesses from its entertainment division.

A district court judge in the US has granted a temporary injunction against Aereo, blocking the video streaming service from transmitting broadcasters’ programmes to its subscribers.

Major League Baseball has set a new broadcast milestone with the 2014 World Series becoming the first edition of the season-ending showpiece to be live streamed.

The athletics division of US college Arizona State has said it will terminate its multimedia rights deal with IMG College and is claiming more than $5m (€3.9m) in damages from the agency for failing to meet contract obligations.