Infront

The Asian Football Confederation has gambled by awarding its commercial rights to a joint venture of two relative newcomers: Chinese media company Wuhan DDMC Culture and Synergy Sports, the agency set up by former Team Marketing executives Patrick Murphy and David Tyler.

Türk Telekom has agreed a shock deal for rights to the country’s Basketbol Süper Ligi, unseating beIN – the league’s preferred partner – with a huge bid.

The European Handball Federation has increased the value of its global media and marketing rights by up to 300 per cent in a new deal with a joint venture comprised of the Infront agency and digital media company Perform.

Italy’s Lega Serie A moved into private negotiations with broadcasters this week for rights to the next three seasons, from 2018-19 to 2020-21, having cancelled its contract with Mediapro.

Infront has beaten competition from rival agency IMG and the European Broadcasting Union to hold on to the international skiing federation’s global media and marketing rights.

Lega Serie A and its media-rights adviser Infront are on a collision course with the Mediapro agency, which was appointed intermediary for the league’s domestic live rights, after the Spanish agency failed to meet this week’s deadline to pay its guarantee. 

The Infront agency is likely to benefit from relatively strong competition for domestic rights to the Turkish basketball league in its tender, despite difficult market conditions in the country.

Infront Sports & Media has agreed long-term extensions to three of its winter sports rights deals in a move seemingly aimed at heading off rival agency IMG’s ambition in the sector.

Second-round bids for Portuguese Primeira Liga international rights have once again fallen below Sport TV’s expectations, despite a five-way agency shootout.