Saran extends S Sport carriage with Vodafone deal

Turkish media-rights agency Saran has completed a third Turkish carriage deal for its two S Sport channels in under a month after agreeing terms with telco Vodafone.

The deal follows on closely from ones signed with cable operator Kablo TV in December and rival telco Turkcell earlier this month.

Vodafone, which boasts 19.3 million mobile customers in the country, launched a Turkey-focused OTT platform in 2014 and it is this platform that will house the two Saran sports channels.

The Vodafone deal means Saran’s flagship S Sport channel is now carried on six platforms across Turkey; Digiturk, D-Smart, Kablo TV, Tivibu, Turkcell, and Vodafone.

S Sport 2 is not carried on Digiturk, Tivibu or D-Smart’s platforms.

Saran holds a range of major properties in Turkey which include the exclusive rights to the English Premier League, Uefa Nations League and Formula 1 motor racing.

The S Sport channels also show coverage of the Bundesliga, MLS, MotoGP, ATP Tour 500 tennis, UFC, top-ranked boxing including Anthony Joshua bouts, WWE, the Basketball Champions League and volleyball’s FIVB Nations League.

As part of the Kablo deal, the cable operator will broadcast NBA TV, which Saran holds the Turkish distribution rights to, and Edgesport, the IMG-operated action sports channel, as standalone channels.