USA
Cincinnati Reds extend local rights deal, invest in network
Major League Baseball team the Cincinnati Reds has extended its rights agreement with Fox Sports Ohio, and also acquired an equity stake in the regional subsidiary of the Fox Sports network.
Goodell addresses NFL ratings slump
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has shrugged off concerns over falling television ratings, stating his belief that the American football league hasn’t lost viewers.
Ex-Traffic Sports US chief to plead guilty to charges
Aaron Davidson, the former head of the US division of Brazilian sports marketing agency Traffic Sports, is scheduled to plead guilty to corruption charges in a US federal court in Brooklyn tomorrow (Thursday).
NFL teams protest against new social media rules
NFL American football teams the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles yesterday (Sunday) staged thinly veiled protests against the league’s new social media rules.
CSN Mid-Atlantic renews Monumental rights in multi-layered deal
The Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic regional broadcaster has renewed rights for games featuring the Washington Capitals NHL ice hockey franchise and the Washington Wizards NBA basketball team.
Facebook Live to stream Magic v Spurs game
NBA franchise the Orlando Magic will provide streaming-only coverage of a game for the first time tomorrow (Wednesday) when it takes on the San Antonio Spurs in a pre-season contest.
Ryder Cup to stream opening-tee atmosphere
A live stream of the opening tee of this weekend’s Ryder Cup will be available via the official website of the golf event and various other digital platforms.
NBC Sports Group picks up Pegasus World Cup Invitational rights
The NBC Sports Group division of US media company NBCUniversal has acquired exclusive rights in the country to the inaugural edition of the Pegasus World Cup Invitational horse racing event.
Henry Birtles Associates to distribute rights to new US horse racing event
Media consultancy Henry Birtles Associates has entered into a partnership with horse racing company the Stronach Group to distribute international television rights to the inaugural Pegasus World Cup Invitational event.
NFL agrees social media partnership with Whistle Sports
Digital sports media content company Whistle Sports has secured a social media-focused partnership with American football league the NFL.
Former NBA commissioner among investors in VR company
US virtual reality company LiveLike has raised $5m (€4.47m) in investment from partners including David Stern (pictured), former commissioner of North American basketball league the NBA.
Disney chief outlines plans for new ESPN streaming platform
ESPN’s sport subscription streaming service is now set to launch in 2017 and could include an à la carte model allowing users to buy individual events or sports, according to Bob Iger, chief executive of the US sports broadcaster’s owner, the Walt Disney media company.
US mixed martial arts promotion signs long-term rights deal
US cable television channel AXS TV Fights has agreed a multi-year rights deal with newly-formed mixed martial arts promotion the Legacy Fighting Alliance.
L.A. Clippers doubles its money with Prime Ticket extension
NBA basketball franchise the Los Angeles Clippers has agreed a multi-year extension to its partnership with cable television channel Prime Ticket in a deal that reportedly doubles the value of its local rights.
Dentsu states belief in VR sector with LiveLike investment
The Dentsu agency has made an investment in US virtual reality company LiveLike through its corporate venture capital fund Dentsu Ventures.
IMG College pens extension with University of South Carolina
The IMG College division of the IMG agency has extended its multimedia rights deal with the University of South Carolina in the US.
One World Sports and Whistle to stream Ivy League coverage
North American sports broadcaster One World Sports has agreed a deal with digital sports media content company Whistle Sports to stream live coverage of American football games from the Ivy League US collegiate sports conference.
Lazarus to step up remit at NBCUniversal
Mark Lazarus, chairman of the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, is to step up his remit at the US media company following the departure of Ted Harbert, the chairman of NBC Broadcasting.