Fox Sports Brasil seals carriage deal with Net

Fox Sports, a division of US broadcaster Fox, agreed a carriage deal with Net, Brazil’s largest cable-television operator, for its recently-launched pay-television channel Fox Sports Brasil.

The carriage deal means Fox Sports Brasil’s coverage of the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent to the Uefa Champions League, will now be widely available in Brazil. The Copa started in January and will conclude in July.

The channel will be available for no extra charge to subscribers of Net’s HD Net and HD Net Max packages. Subscribers to the basic Net Digital package will be able to access the channel for free for a limited period, according to the Yahoo! Esportes website.

Fox Sports Brasil initially struggled to secure deals following the launch of the channel in Brazil in February, with pay-television operators reportedly unhappy with the high carriage fee being requested. However, last week Fox Sports Brasil followed up a number of smaller carriage deals with an agreement with Brazil’s largest satellite operator, Sky Brasil, which increased the reach of the channel to 45 per cent of pay-television homes in the country.