Oceania

Australian commercial broadcaster Nine has acquired media rights for the US Major League Baseball season-opening games in Australia between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Australian pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports has been appointed as the official broadcaster of the new club knockout cup competition launched by Football Federation Australia.

International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates has said that the organisation is aiming to sell the media rights for the next three Olympic Games as a single package in Australia, according to the Fox Sports news website.

Free-to-air broadcaster Maori TV has acquired rights for the 2014 ANZ Championship, the top-tier netball tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

Mike Kiernan, analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence, reviews the most-watched events of 2013 across 10 of the world’s biggest media markets E

Production company Attitude Pictures has acquired media rights in New Zealand for the Sochi 2014 Paralympic winter Games.

Australian commercial broadcaster Channel Nine and pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports have announced that they would consider supporting a summer rugby league ‘nines’ competition, according to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

Digital sports media company Perform has struck a deal with the NBA to launch a new online service dedicated to fans of the North American basketball league in New Zealand.

Pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports has acquired rights in Australia for the US Masters golf event, according to the Australian newspaper.

The New Zealand Cricket governing body has secured the largest broadcast revenue ever paid out to a national sporting organisation from India’s ongoing tour of the country, according to the Fairfax Media news agency.

Australian commercial broadcaster Seven Network has acquired media rights for the US Masters golf event, according to the Australian newspaper.

Digital free-to-air channel Sommet Sports and pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand have acquired rights in the country for the Australian Football League (AFL), the top division of Aussie rules in Australia.

New Zealand’s monopoly totalisator organisation the TAB, which is operated by the New Zealand Racing Board, has announced that it will make its racing channels Trackside and TAB TV solely available through pay-television operator Sky New Zealand from April 14.

UK pay-television broadcaster Premier Sports has acquired rights for the inaugural National Rugby League Auckland Nines competition.

Cricket Australia has said that viewing figures for the first half of the Big Bash League have justified the national governing body’s decision to switch coverage of the Twenty20 cricket competition to free-to-air television and defer the start of the event.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts organisation has launched a new digital subscription service which plans to offer a minimum of 10 exclusive live events per year.

The V8 Supercars motor-racing series has agreed domestic rights deals with Australian commercial broadcaster Ten Network, pay-television operator Foxtel and pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports.

The Australian Rugby Union has announced pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports and pay-television operator Foxtel as the sponsors of its new National Rugby Championship, which will provide additional broadcast content to Fox Sports.