Dutch public-service broadcaster NOS has extended a rights deal for highlights of the Eredivisie, the top division of football in the Netherlands, for one season, to cover 2013-14.
NOS reached the agreement with Eredivisie Media and Marketing (EMM), the company that owns the media rights for the Dutch top flight. Earlier this month, Fox International Channels, a subsidiary of News Corp, acquired a 51-per-cent stake in EMM, raising doubts about whether NOS would retain its rights.
“By collaborating with the NOS through to 2014 we are creating the necessary space for all possibilities for the subsequent period in a highly changing media landscape,” EMM director Alex Tielbeke said.
NOS chief executive Jan de Jong said he hoped the broadcaster would retain the rights beyond 2013-14, but added: “NOS is realistic. The media landscape is changing rapidly and competition will increase further on all platforms imaginable.”
NOS’s previous five-year deal for the Eredivisie highlights expires at the end of the 2012-13 season.
Under the new agreement, NOS, which has broadcast coverage of the Eredivisie for nearly half a century, will also continue to provide live radio coverage of top-flight matches.
UPDATED 24 AUGUST 2012 – ORIGINAL STORY SAID DEAL WAS EXTENDED FOR TWO SEASONS