Football

Basketball: US Disney-owned broadcasters ABC and ESPN and Time Warner’s Turner Sports extended their deals with the National Basketball Association for a further eight years from 2008-09 to 2015-16. 

Olympics, international football, ice hockey, skiing and athletics protected

Noos-Numéricâble becomes first French cable operator to acquire, rather than just distribute, content

Football: Pan-Middle East pay-operator Arab Radio and Television acquired the rights to the 2010 and 2014 World Cups as part of an eight-year agreement with Fifa spanning all Fifa competitions from 2007 to 2014.

Public service broadcasters paying less for Euro 2008 rights

The Danish, Norwegian and Swedish national football associations are considering selling their international television rights jointly from next year

Sale of Tien to RTL Nederland likely to end three-year boom in Dutch sports rights market

Talks over the sale of Swedish football’s television rights have stalled

Pay-television business has failed to grow despite dominant position since merger with Via Digital

British Sky Broadcasting’s pay-per-view Premier League football service

Middle East pay-television broadcaster Arab Radio and Television has won the region’s rights for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups

France’s Ligue 1 may delay its mobile-rights request for tenders because of a dispute with the players association

German mobile phone company T-Mobile is understood to be in talks with the Infront agency

Merger talks between French pay-broadcasters Canal Plus and Télévision Par Satellite should be concluded before Christmas

Football fans in Italy will be able to watch live, top-quality coverage of Champions League and Serie A matches on their mobile phones

Rugby Union: French public-service broadcaster France Télévisions acquired the exclusive live rights for European club rugby’s Heineken Cup competition in a four-year deal from 2006-07 to 2009-10

Spanish pay-television operator Sogecable strengthened its grip on the rights for Spanish domestic football

Important questions remain about the constitution of the Premier League’s television-rights packages