Sub-Saharan Africa

Moves by Nigeria’s government and broadcast regulator could make it increasingly difficult for the country’s pay-television broadcasters to continue paying big money for international sports rights.

Canal Plus Events are to begin a second phase of international rights sales, targeting more deals in Asia and increased free-to-air coverage in Africa.

Athletics: The IMG agency acquired the international television rights for the newly-created Diamond League in a five-year deal, 2010 to 2014, guaranteeing around $6m (€4.7m) a year.

Football: The Sportfive agency acquired the fixed-media rights to Fifa events in a four-year deal with international football’s governing body from 2009 to 2012, including the 2010 World Cup in South A…

Asian broadcaster Ten Sports secured the rights for international cricket in South Africa despite reducing its initial offer by about $10 million.

Football: England’s Premier League generated £1.782bn (€2.05bn/$2.62bn) in the sale of its domestic live rights for the three-year period from 2010-11 to 2012-13. The deal is a 4.5-pe

Athletics: The Organización de Telecomunicaciones Iberoamericanas, the Latin American broadcasting union, acquired the rights for the 2009 World Championship for member broadcasters in Argentina (cable …

The collapse of GTV this week has raised fears that the African sports rights boom of the last two years is destined to be short-lived.

South Africa’s state broadcaster, SABC, was slammed last week over its request for extensive additions to the country’s list of events of national importance that must be aired on free-to-air television.

New domestic deals for two of Europe’s top five football leagues accounted for two of the three biggest television rights contracts signed in 2008.

A multi-million dollar deal for the Asian rights for international cricket in South Africa looks likely to become another victim of the economic crisis.

Football: The Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL), representing the top two tiers of German football, Bundesliga 1 and Bundesliga 2, agreed a number of media rights deals covering the four-year period from 2009-10…

A review of South Africa’s listed-events legislation is generating concern among the country’s broadcasters and rights holders.

A new strategic cooperation between the African Union of Broadcasters and Fifa, covering the 2010 football World Cup, will give Fifa a direct relationship with broadcasters in the region for the first time.

UK pay-operator BSkyB’s new five-year deal with the Rugby Football Union was a classic smash-and-grab move that will strengthen its position in the ongoing negotiations for English rugby union’s top-tier domestic league.

Globo said that it was in talks with the Team Marketing agency about the possibility of acquiring rights for European football’s Champions League competition from 2009-10 to 2011-12.

News in Brief

Football: Spanish pay-television operator Sogecable acquired the television rights for the 2010 Fifa World Cup in a deal with Fifa worth just over €90m (£71m).