Russia

Broadcast platforms from Italy, Canada, Japan, Russia and Germany have agreed deals to provide coverage of the International Paralympic Committee’s 2015 Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships A-Pool.

Russian state broadcaster Channel One and Fijian commercial and pay-television broadcaster Fiji TV have acquired rights to the world welterweight title fight between boxing’s pound-for-pound superstars Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

Russian sports news website Sports.ru has struck a deal to become an official premium media partner of the Euroleague Basketball club tournament.

Russian state broadcaster VGTRK has acquired rights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s entire programme of mixed martial arts events throughout 2015.

A start-up company called Novyye Media has submitted a proposal to Russian football’s Premier League to establish a new online channel for the property, according to the Sports.ru news website.

Russian media group Gazprom Media Holding has appointed former Sochi 2014 winter Olympic and Paralympic Games organising committee supremo Dmitry Chernyshenko as its new chief executive.

The Ski Classics cross-country skiing series has secured television distribution in Russia for the first time under a rights deal with pay-television broadcaster NTV Plus.

Media rights income for Euroleague basketball is likely to be about the same in the 2014-15 season as it was last season, partly due to difficulties in Russia, one of the sport’s key markets.

Russian state broadcaster VGTRK has agreed an outline deal with the CAA Eleven agency for the rights to the qualifying games for the Uefa Euro 2016 national team football competition.

Russian telecommunications company Akado has added the NTV Plus HD and NTV Plus Tennis pay-television broadcasters to its pay-television service.

North American pay-television broadcaster One World Sports has sealed a new rights deal for the Kontinental Hockey League Russia-based ice hockey club tournament.

Russian pay-television sports channel Sport 1 has acquired rights for English football’s League Cup club knockout tournament.

Cable-television channel ‘Saint Petersburg’ has acquired rights for football matches featuring Russian team Zenit St Petersburg.

Russian pay-television sports channel Sport 1 has acquired rights to the 2014-15 season of the Eredivisie, the top division of Dutch football.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill which will introduce a law banning advertising on pay-television broadcasters, a development which could have implications for the sports rights market in the country.

A proposed Russian ban on advertising on pay-television broadcasters would have dire consequences for NTV Plus’s coverage of football’s Uefa Champions League, according to the broadcaster’s commentator, Michael Mossakovskii.