Sky UK

Scottish football will remain split between pay-television broadcasters after a clause in Sky’s contract triggered an early renewal process.

Sky paid a significant fee to secure rights to England’s tour of Bangladesh in 2016. The deal ensures Sky has rights to all England international cricket for the next two years.

Fewer NFL American football matches will be shown free-to-air in the UK in the 2015 season, but the league has secured deals which it believes will still reach a wide audience.

UK pay-television broadcaster Sky last week bought rights to the upcoming England v Pakistan cricket series in an attempt to shore up its cricket content.

UK pay-television broadcaster BT Sport this week blindsided its main rival Sky by picking up Ashes cricket rights, paying a rights-fee increase of about 20 per cent.

French telco Altice signalled its intent to bid aggressively for sports rights late last month, teaming up with RDA TV to buy international Premiership Rugby rights.

The value of Premier League internet rights increased hugely in deals in China, but the value of digital clips in the UK remained flat in this week’s deal with Sky.

Boxing promoter Matchroom Sport is thought to have secured a small increase in the value of its rights in last week’s renewal with UK pay-television broadcaster Sky.

Mike Kiernan, analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence examines television audiences in the UK for the 2014-15 English Premier League season

UK pay-television broadcaster Sky this month tendered rights to England autumn internationals outside the UK, TV Sports Markets understands.

Sky this week acquired the UK rights to the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, beating competition from pay-television boxing channel BoxNation.

Pan-regional sports broadcaster Eurosport is thought to be paying a strong rights fee for Major League Soccer rights across Europe, excluding the UK, in its four-year deal agreed last week.

The English Football League last week earned a decent increase in the value of its media rights from incumbent rights-holder Sky in a one-year extension last week.

Mike Kiernan, analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence, looks at television audiences for Super Bowl XLIX

It is not yet clear whether Sky’s 83-per-cent increase in spending on Premier League rights was down to a blockbuster first-round bid to see off BT, a second-round reaction to aggressive BT bidding, or a combination of both.