USA

US media company NBCUniversal has extended its media rights deal for the Olympic Games through to 2032 in a deal that the International Olympic Committee said would secure the long-term financial security of the Olympic Movement.

Organisers of the Gavitt Tipoff Games have announced that broadcast coverage of the new US collegiate sports competition will be split between international sports broadcaster ESPN, the Fox Sports division of US network Fox and the Big Ten Network (BTN) cable television broadcaster.

ESPN president John Skipper has said the US sports broadcaster is “on the precipice” of agreeing a new rights deal with Major League Soccer, the top division of football in North America.

US friendly football tournament set to turn a profit this year

US cable-television channel the CBS Sports Network, which is operated by the CBS network, has entered into a partnership with Minor League Baseball (MiLB) to broadcast the MLB affiliate league’s game of the week throughout the 2014 season.

US college sports conference the Ivy League has appointed the Lagardere Unlimited agency to aid its search for a new broadcast rights deal.

Interview with Arne Rees, chief operating officer of RSE Ventures, on the International Champions Cup friendly tournament

Media consultancy Henry Birtles Associates has struck a deal to distribute international television rights for the Breeders’ Cup US horseracing event.

The Fox Sports division of US network Fox has bolstered its golf content by agreeing a multi-year, multi-platform rights deal for the Franklin Templeton Shootout event.

US sports broadcaster ESPN will televise its first NFL Wild Card Playoff game during the American football league’s 2014 season.

US media company Comcast has said the Sochi winter Olympics generated over $1.1bn (€797.1m) in revenue, with its NBCUniversal division’s broadcasts of the 2014 Games making a significant contribution to a first quarter net income rise of 30 per cent.

Sports broadcaster ESPN is set to acquire the US rights for world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko’s defence of his WBA, WBO and IBF titles against Alex Leapai on April 26.

International Champions Cup organiser Relevent Sports has agreed broadcast deals across a host of territories for the 2014 edition of the annual US-based club football competition.

US media company NBCUniversal will broadcast live all 10 matches of the final day of the 2013-14 English Premier League football season – the first time the season-ending games will be aired on network television in the US at the same time.

US internet media company Blinkx has partnered with action/adventure sports media company GrindMedia to offer users video content from TransWorld’s new extreme sports channels.

The NFL has no intention of shifting to a pay-television only model in the future, according to Brian Rolapp, chief operating officer of the American football league’s NFL Media division.