Multi-sport

Italian broadcaster Mediaset has reported record losses of €294.5m ($313.9m) for 2016, blaming the collapse of its proposed deal with French media company Vivendi for the state of affairs.

French media company Vivendi has said it is considering legal action after Italian communications authority AGCOM ordered it to cut its stake in either Italian broadcaster Mediaset or telecommunications firm Telecom Italia within a year.

The IMG agency has continued the revamp of its IMG Replay service by striking a partnership with sports video news agency SNTV.

Sports and entertainment giant AEG has launched an in-house branded content division.

Talpa Holding has acquired a 67-per-cent stake in Dutch commercial broadcaster SBS from majority shareholder Sanoma Media.

The European Commission has given unconditional approval to US media company 21st Century Fox’s proposed £11.7bn (€13.7bn/$14.5bn) takeover of pan-European pay-television broadcaster Sky.

Video-sharing platform YouTube has launched its new service that delivers a range of major television channels to subscribers via the internet in the US, including a raft of sports content.

MSG Networks, which owns and operates two US regional sports and entertainment networks – MSG Network and MSG Plus – is looking to sell itself and is approaching buyers, according to the New York Post.

Japan’s five main commercial broadcasters have come together to develop a system that will serve as the lynchpin for simultaneous broadcasting of television programs over the air and the internet.

The International World Games Association has become the latest global sporting body to partner with the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Channel.

The Lagardère Sports and U! Sports agencies have signed an agreement with US-based distributor Madison Communications that secures coverage in China of the 2017 World Games multi-sport event.

Organisers of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur have promised that this year’s edition of the multi-sport event will break records in terms of live broadcast coverage.

Pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand and telecommunications company Vodafone New Zealand have filed appeals with the High Court against the Commerce Commission’s decision to block a merger between the two businesses.

French media group Vivendi and Italian broadcaster Mediaset launched lawsuits against each other for defamation yesterday (Tuesday) in the opening day of a court case in Milan, according to the Reuters news agency.

French media group Vivendi has fired another shot in its ongoing battle with Mediaset, accusing the Italian broadcaster of providing “misleading” information during talks over a partnership last year.

Modern Times Group, the multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster, has continued its transformation effort by selling off its free-to-air television, pay-television, digital and radio businesses in the Baltic region to US private equity investment firm Providence Equity Partners.