Football
ESPN and BSkyB settle down into marriage of convenience
Club channel agency wars
Considerably increased revenue from international distribution deals is set to help Premier League club channels Arsenal TV and Liverpool TV overcome the financial shortfall left by the collapse of UK pay-broadcaster Setanta.
FASTRACK
Dutch La Liga deal leaves door open
Tough times ahead for Nova as OTE splashes the cash
French federation gets friendly in bid to halt falling fees
ESPN profits as USA goes all the way in South Africa
The USA team’s unexpected run to the final of Fifa’s Confederations Cup earned cable broadcaster ESPN its highest non-World Cup audience for a national team match.
TV Rights Deals 1: Football – Premier League, La Liga, French and Greek deals
Stage set for ESPN after curtain falls on struggling Setanta
The dramatic, last-minute collapse of what was itself an eleventh-hour bid to rescue Setanta sets the stage for global sports network ESPN to finally make its move in the UK market.
FASTRACK
Orange targets tennis in return to the rights market
NOS: No more football deals for at least two years
TV Rights Deals 1: 2010 World Cup, Uefa and other deals
Top league audiences rise, but growth too late to save Setanta
Domestic pay-television television audiences for live coverage of the 2008-09 season of English, Italian and French domestic football have all risen in comparison with the previous year.
FASTRACK
Mixed results for Champions League despite dream final
The cumulative average television audience across the big five European markets for this season’s Champions League final was 27 per cent up on the final in 2007-08.