North America
MLS embarks on content drive through new venture
Major League Soccer has formed a new content and distribution division that will produce football programming across multiple media platforms.
Kansas Athletics seals local rights deal
Kansas Athletics and IMG College, the multimedia rights-holder for the athletics division of the University of Kansas, have agreed a local rights deal with Time Warner Cable Sports.
CNY Central snaps up Syracuse rights
New York media company CNY Central has acquired exclusive local media rights to selected American football and basketball games featuring Syracuse University, which is based in the state.
Fox pushing new channel through Super Bowl advertising
US network Fox is telling potential advertisers for its coverage of the 2014 Super Bowl American football game that they must also buy advertising time through other Fox Sports content, including programming on new national channel Fox Sports 1.
WLWT secures local rights to Bengals games
Cincinnati’s NBC network affiliate, WLWT (Channel 5), has acquired local broadcast rights for all four Cincinnati Bengals primetime NFL American football games in 2013.
IMG to boost global exposure of Canada’s UCI WorldTour races
The IMG Media agency has been appointed by the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal (GPCQM) organisation to distribute the media rights for the 2013 editions of cycling’s UCI WorldTour one-day races in Québec City and Montréal in Canada.
Sportsnet strikes Ultimate Fighter deal
Canadian pay-television broadcaster Rogers Sportsnet has acquired rights for the next edition of the Ultimate Fighter mixed martial arts series, which will feature Canadian fighters for the first time.
Premiership sees no need to test the market for new deal
Why Premiership Rugby looked no further than 'expert' partner Pitch for its international sales contract
Buccaneers link up with local broadcaster
The NFL American football’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise has announced a rights deal with local broadcaster WFLA-TV/News Channel 8.
ESPN pulls shutters down on 3D channel
US sports broadcaster ESPN will close its 3D cable-television channel by the end of the year.
TSN and RDS convert Rugby Canada rights deal
Canadian pay-television sports broadcaster TSN and French-language sister network RDS have agreed an exclusive multi-year broadcast rights deal with Rugby Canada.
Delaney leaves Yes Network for Fox Sports
Ed Delaney has been appointed to the newly-created position of executive vice-president of operations at Fox Sports Media Group, a division of US network Fox.
One World Sports dives into US rights market with Cosmos deal
US cable television channel One World Sports has acquired rights to New York Cosmos football games – a move that marks the network’s first entry into the domestic sports rights market.
Celtics chief executive launches sports media fund
Wyc Grousbeck, managing partner and chief executive of the Boston Celtics, has launched an investment fund for sports media properties.
TVA Sports scores NFL rights touchdown
French-language Canadian pay-television network TVA Sports has agreed a four-year rights deal, from 2013-14 to 2016-17, with American football’s NFL.
Fox and ESPN score rights to European football qualifiers
The Fox Sports Media Group has confirmed the acquisition of rights for European qualifiers for the Uefa Euro 2016 and 2018 Fifa World Cup tournaments and sublicensed half of the matches to ESPN.
Verizon enhances NFL partnership
American football’s NFL has agreed a four-year extension, from 2014-15 to 2017-18, to its partnership with telecommunications company Verizon.
CBS Sports appoints Berson as president
The CBS Sports division of US network CBS has appointed David Berson as its new president.