Sweden

Global broadcast and media services provider Red Bee Media has rebranded as Ericsson Broadcast and Media Services following its takeover by the Swedish communications technology company.

Spotify has said sports broadcaster ESPN will be one of its initial partners as it seeks to diversify from its core music streaming business into video content.

Sports rights agency Spring Media will open a new office in Mexico City.

Mixed Martial Arts

The Fight Sports pay-television channel will launch in Sweden and Finland after media company CSI Sports, the owner of the channel, agreed a carriage deal with telecommunications company TeliaSonera.

Ice Hockey

Modern Times Group, the multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster, has struck a deal to offer its Viaplay online streaming service, which includes various sports content, to customers of Swedish telecommunications operator Tele2.

Handball

Pan-Nordic basic-tier and pay-television broadcaster SBS Discovery and pan-European sports broadcaster Eurosport have jointly acquired rights in Sweden for the 2015 World Handball Championship for men and women.

Skiing

The Infront Sports & Media agency’s deals last week for World Championship and World Cup skiing events with Swedish public-service broadcaster SVT are thought to represent a decent increase on the current value of the rights.

Skiing

Swedish public-service broadcaster SVT has agreed a five-year extension to its rights deal for a range of International Ski Federation (FIS) events, under an agreement brokered by the Infront Sports & Media agency.

American Football

Swedish commercial and pay-television broadcaster TV4 has acquired rights for various American football events in the country over the next two years.

Kentaro AB has appealed a decision by the Stockholm District Court in Sweden to place the Swedish division of the Kentaro agency into bankruptcy, according to the Aftonbladet news website.

A new sports marketing agency has been launched in Sweden and will be led by David Nilsson, a senior executive at the IEC in Sports agency.

Tennis

Swedish public-service broadcaster SVT has agreed a three-year deal allowing it to televise the men’s and women’s singles finals of the Wimbledon tennis championships.

Handball

Commercial and pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group has struck a long-term rights deal for the European Handball Federation men’s and women’s Champions League club competitions.

Ice Hockey

The IEC in Sports agency has agreed a deal with the Kontinental Hockey League, the top division of ice hockey in Russia, for broadcast rights to the finals of the 2014 Swedish Hockey League club competition.

Football

Swedish commercial and pay-television broadcaster TV4 has signed a three-year extension to its contract with production company Onside TV, under which the firm will produce around 350 football games per year.

Football

Uefa, football’s European governing body, has awarded media rights in Sweden for the 2017 Women’s Euro international tournament to public-service broadcaster SVT and pay-television and commercial broadcaster TV4.

Ice Hockey

Swedish public-service broadcaster SVT has agreed a three-year rights deal covering the 2014-15 to 2016-17 seasons of new European club ice hockey competition the Champions Hockey League.

Ice Hockey

Infront strikes first deals for new Champions Hockey League