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ESPN demonstrates Bundesliga commitment with extensive Der Klassiker coverage
ESPN is demonstrating its commitment to the Bundesliga with extensive coverage of the high-profile Bayern Munich-Borussia Dortmund match this weekend, highlighted by "Der Klassiker" being aired on the…
Disney ‘pushing back’ on NFL desire to double rights fees
The Walt Disney Co. is reportedly pushing back on the National Football League's desire to charge domestic rights partners double the amount they have been paying to broadcast games
Team follows Brazil with Uefa club competitions rights tender in Latin America
Latin America is the latest territory in which invitations to submit offers have been issued for Uefa club competitions broadcast rights from 2021-22 to 2023-24
Belgian league nets ESPN+ exposure in wider deal across Americas
Live coverage of Belgian football’s Jupiler Pro League is to be shown in the US on subscription streaming service ESPN+ as part of a wider five-year agreement with the Disney-owned broadcaster.
ESPN extends US rights deal for New Zealand’s NBL
New Zealand’s National Basketball League has secured an extended media-rights deal in the United States with ESPN following an agreement to showcase last year’s Sal’s NBL Showdown for the first time.
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ESPN+, Cricket West Indies seal five-year media-rights deal
ESPN+ has expanded its cricket coverage by striking a five-year agreement with Cricket West Indies for exclusive media and digital rights in the United States to all West Indies international home matches a…
ESPN signs contract extensions with Rodriguez, Vasgersian
ESPN has signed announcers Alex Rodriguez and Matt Vasgersian to one-year contract extensions that will keep them in place with its flagship Major League Baseball broadcast property, Sunday Night Baseball,…
NFL game on Nickelodeon proves to be substantial hit
Last weekend’s push by the National Football League and CBS Sports to engage younger audiences proved to be a substantial hit, as the specially designed production of a Wild Card playoff game on Nickelodeon g…
Ajax-PSV breaks Eredivisie viewership record on rebranded ESPN
Sunday afternoon's Dutch Eredivisie fixture between Ajax and PSV Eindhoven broke a viewership record on rebranded ESPN's first weekend of broadcasting the league, attracting an average of 1
Coefficient change sees Uefa club competition value rebound in Netherlands
The value of Uefa club competition rights has rebounded in the Netherlands due to a change in Uefa’s coefficient ranking system that will guarantee at least one Dutch club’s automatic qualification to the Champions League from 2021-22.
Formula One closes North American rights cycle with Canadian fee rise
Formula One Management, the commercial rights-holder of Formula One, has rounded out a successful North American rights cycle by increasing its fees in Canada by roughly a fifth, while also earning a healthy rights fee in the US.
Formula E per-race fee in sub-Saharan Africa grows by a fifth in one-season StarTimes deal
Pay-television broadcaster StarTimes’s one-season deal for Formula E motor racing rights in sub-Saharan Africa has seen the per-race fee grow almost 20 per cent.
ESPN continues football spending spree with Copa del Rey acquisition
US sports broadcaster ESPN has reaffirmed its strategic commitment to football by paying a substantial sum for exclusive rights to the Spanish Copa del Rey knock-out competition.
Le Batard, Skipper forming media company
Popular American sports talk radio personality Dan Le Batard is teaming up with former ESPN colleague John Skipper to create a new media company, according to multiple reports
NFL ends 2020 regular season down 7 per cent in ratings
The National Football League, which battled a series of operational challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic throughout its 2020 regular season, ended the schedule down 7 per cent in domestic television…
ESPN’s Ravens-Titans Wild Card MegaCast to include ESPN+ betting-infused stream
ESPN's first National Football League Wild Card MegaCast, featuring the Baltimore Ravens-Tennessee Titans clash at Nissan Stadium on January 10, has been expanded to include a sports betting-infused stream…
NFL ‘poised to generate’ more than $100bn in new domestic rights deals
The National Football League is poised to generate more than $100bn (€82bn) in a series of new long-term domestic television rights deals, further highlighting just how powerful the sports property is t…
ESPN+ to expand PGA Tour featured-hole coverage
The PGA Tour and ESPN have reached an agreement for direct-to-consumer platform ESPN+ to stream live, featured-hole coverage from 23 Tour events in 2021
ESPN+ to get integration into Hulu, Xfinity
The direct-to-consumer ESPN+ will be gaining a set of sizable bumps in exposure and functionality with the integration of the streaming service into sister offering Hulu, while also being offered directly…
ESPN signs landmark rights pact with the SEC
ESPN has signed a landmark media rights agreement with the Southeastern Conference, gaining exclusive rights to the Power Five conference’s premium football package beginning with the 2024-25 academic y…
ESPN, American Kennel Club agree to three-year rights deal
ESPN and the American Kennel Club have signed a three-year media rights deal to televise and stream a series of AKC-sanctioned dog competitions, including the prestigious AKC National Championship.
Fox Sports to rebrand as ESPN in the Netherlands
Dutch pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports has confirmed it will rebrand under the ESPN banner from January 1 next year
ESPN+ retains NZ Cricket rights in long-term deal
ESPN+, the Disney-owned OTT streaming service, has retained its rights in the US market to top international cricket played in New Zealand in a new long-term agreement with the sport’s governing body i…
Atlantic 10 secures three-year ESPN, ESPN+ extension
The Atlantic 10 collegiate athletic conference, one of the top mid-majors in American college sports, has secured a three-year extension to its domestic media-rights agreement with ESPN and ESPN+ for a…
Ex-ESPN executive Classen replaces Raynaud as Sky Deutschland’s sports head
Charly Classen, previously a leading figure at ESPN’s international business, has been named as the new executive vice-president of sports at German pay-television broadcaster Sky Deutschland, replacing J…
Southern Conference secures six-year extension with ESPN, ESPN+
The Southern Conference has reached a new six-year domestic media-rights agreement with ESPN and streaming service ESPN+ through the 2025-26 academic year
Pitaro names new ESPN executive leadership team
ESPN has unveiled an executive restructuring following the planned departure of executive vice president of content Connor Schell and recent reorganization by corporate parent The Walt Disney Co.
MLS Cup Playoffs boosted by additional ABC coverage
Major League Soccer's postseason will gain significantly more broadcast reach in the United States with the main ABC network airing a conference semi-final as well as a conference final
ESPN lays off 300 employees, will not fill 200 other positions
American sports media giant ESPN said it will lay off about 300 employees and not fill 200 other open positions, a heavy cutback for the Walt Disney Co.-owned company amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic
Disney poised to make aggressive bid for NFL’s “SNF”
The Walt Disney Co. is reportedly preparing to make an aggressive bid to secure the domestic broadcast rights to the National Football League's showcase Sunday Night Football package.
ESPN’s “College GameDay” to air live at Augusta during The Masters
ESPN and Augusta National have announced that College GameDay will be broadcast live at next month's Masters tournament on November 14
ESPN placing more content behind ESPN+ paywall
ESPN has developed a plan to shift more of its written editorial content and daily studio show programming behind its paywall as it continues prioritize the development of the ESPN+ subscription offering
ESPN agrees one-year SPFL deal in US, secures Latin American rights
The Disney-owned direct-to-consumer streaming platform ESPN+ has acquired US broadcast rights to the Scottish Premiership in one of a string of broadcast deals finalised by the Infront agency
Fox Sports, SuperSport and ESPN Latin America among British Champions Day broadcasters
This weekend’s British Champions Day horse-racing event at Ascot will enjoy international broadcast exposure, with US network Fox Sports and sub-Saharan pay-television operator SuperSport among the broadcasters t…
ESPN Deportes secures Spanish-language rights to Super Bowl LV
ESPN Deportes has gained the domestic Spanish-language rights to broadcast Super Bowl LV, which is scheduled to take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 7, 2021.
ESPN/Fox merger rejected by Argentina’s competition watchdog
The Disney media group’s latest attempts to merge international arms of pay-television broadcasters ESPN and Fox Sports has failed after Argentina’s competition authority blocked its proposal.
ESPN extends long-running Southland Conference deal
ESPN and its direct-to-consumer streaming platform ESPN+ have signed a multi-year extension to a rights deal with the Southland Conference US college sports conference