USA
USL renews ESPN deal in three-year extension
The United Soccer League has renewed its media rights agreement with ESPN through 2026 for the USL Championship and USL League One, SportBusiness understands
WBD’s Zaslav: New sports streaming bundle will make games easier to find
Warner Bros. Discovery's impending new sports streaming service with ESPN and Fox will put the power back in the consumer's hand, but will have little to no impact on the trio's cable subscriber numbers, WBD chief executive David Zaslav has declared.
MLS appoints Sportec Solutions to long-term VAR contract
Major League Soccer has appointed the Deltatre-owned Sportec Solutions as its video assistant referee (VAR) technology provider as the league's 29th season gets underway.
ESPN, Athletes Unlimited in multi-year deal for all four sports
Player-focused professional women's sports league Athletes Unlimited (AU) has signed a new multi-year deal with ESPN covering all four of its sports, including, for the first time, basketball
Fubo files antitrust complaint over ESPN-Fox-WBD streaming JV
Fubo is suing Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery over their recently announced joint venture sports streaming platform, calling the move an "extreme suppression of competition in the US sports-focused streaming market", according to a copy of the lawsuit.
NHL’s Coyotes launch D2C platform with Kiswe
The National Hockey League's Arizona Coyotes have announced a direct-to-consumer platform with video technology provider Kiswe giving local fans another place to watch in-market games through the team's…
US DOJ ‘to review’ ESPN-Fox-WBD streaming deal
The United States Justice Department (DOJ) is planning to scrutinise the new sports streaming service that Disney's ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery plan to launch later this year over potential antitrust breaches.
ESPN, CFP ‘agree six-year extension’ worth $7.8bn
ESPN and the College Football Playoff have agreed a six-year, $7.8bn (€7.3bn) extension as the new era of the college football postseason begins.
Paramount slashes costs with 800 layoffs
Paramount Global is making around 800 job cuts worldwide amid ongoing restructuring of the company and conversations around a possible sale or merger
EXCLUSIVE: EFL shortlists Pitch, Relevent for international rights talks
The English Football League is entering into detailed talks with incumbent Pitch International and the US-based Relevent Sports Group as it nears its award of international broadcast rights, SportBusiness…
Super Bowl domestic audience exceeds 123m to net all-time record
Domestic Super Bowl coverage drew the most-watched broadcast in NFL history with an average audience of 123.4 million viewers across all platforms
The bundle is dead. Long live the bundle
The streaming platform that Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery will jointly launch later this year is, experts say, effectively a part-migration of the bundle from cable to streaming.
Fox’s Murdoch: Streaming bundle focused on ‘cord-nevers’
Fox's new sports streaming service with ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery that shocked the US media market this week will not affect its lucrative pay-TV business, executive chair and CEO Lachlan Murdoch has insisted.
ESPN’s D2C product set for August 2025 launch, ESPN+ subs dip in Q4
ESPN's flagship direct-to-consumer service is set to be in place by the start of the 2025 National Football League season, making the full suite of ESPN's channels available in a standalone service
Netflix to take swing at MLB with two Red Sox docuseries
Netflix is getting into professional baseball for the first time, with the entertainment streaming giant today (Wednesday) revealing plans for two projects with Major League Baseball surrounding the Boston…
ESPN-Fox-WBD to form US sports streaming behemoth
ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery have announced plans to launch a joint venture streaming service later this year in a major consolidation of the US market
Diamond Sports agrees contracts with Guardians, Rangers and Twins
Diamond Sports Group, the regional sports network (RSN) owner and operator of Bally Sports, has motioned for new broadcast agreements with the Cleveland Guardians, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins of…
Betting rights aggregator ALT Sports Data closes $2.5m funding round
California-based sports data and analytics company ALT Sports Data has announced the closing of a $2.5m series seed funding round, co-led by Eberg Capital and Relay Ventures, with participation from others including Trinity West Ventures NuFund Venture Group.