Canal Plus renews French handball rights

French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus has acquired rights from the Fédération Française de Handball, the French handball federation.

The rights cover France men’s and women’s national team games, excluding international tournaments, plus the national women’s championship and the domestic women’s league cup.

The deal will run for four seasons, from 2013-14 to 2016-17.

Canal Plus, the incumbent rights-holder, was bidding for the rights against pay-television rival beIN Sport.

“With this agreement, Canal Plus asserts itself more than ever as the official broadcaster of handball in France with an offer that already includes the men’s championship and national cup tournaments for men and women, as well as the men’s league cup and the men’s Champions Trophy,” the federation said.