Multiple Sports
New World TV, MMS, SportyTV: new players shaking up African rights market
In the last three to four years, the sports media industry in sub-Saharan Africa has seen an influx of new players who are challenging established operators and entrenched myths about how business works in the region.
Genius’ annual net loss narrows to $86m after revenue jump
Fourth-quarter and full-year net losses at Genius Sports narrowed considerably in 2023 as the data, technology and broadcast services group posted revenues exceeding its initial guidance.
Murdoch outlines 5m subscriber target for sports streaming JV
Fox chief executive Lachlan Murdoch has said that the yet-to-be-named sports streaming joint venture backed by Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery is planned to reach five million subscribers in its first five years.
Diamond to cut ties with Bally’s as part of re-organisation plan
Diamond Sports Group, the owner and operator of 19 regional sports networks (RSNs) in the United States, has submitted its official re-organisation plan to the Houston court overseeing its Chapter 11 bankruptcy…
Paramount+ subs up to 67.5m, total revenue dips 6 per cent
Paramount Global's streaming service Paramount+ added 4.1 million new subscribers in the fourth quarter, raising the platform's total to 67.5 million subscribers at the end of 2023 as the company's overall revenue dipped six per cent year-over-year for the quarter.
Reliance, Disney Star agree $8.5bn India media mega-merger
Disney Star and Reliance Industries, majority owner of Viacom18, today announced the merger of their Indian television and streaming assets, creating an $8.5bn media behemoth.
Diamond Sports refinancing approved, puts NHL, NBA plans at risk
A US bankruptcy court has approved Diamond Sports Group's $495m (€456m) settlement from Sinclair and $450m debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing package, but plans of the National Hockey League and National B…
WWE swells revenues but Endeavor results hit by legal costs, write-offs
Endeavor, the sports and entertainment conglomerate, is continuing to explore "strategic alternatives” for its publicly listed stock, and as a result will provide no 2024 financial guidance it revealed today (Wednesday).
WBD’s Zaslav: New sports streaming bundle will make games easier to find
Warner Bros. Discovery's impending new sports streaming service with ESPN and Fox will put the power back in the consumer's hand, but will have little to no impact on the trio's cable subscriber numbers, WBD chief executive David Zaslav has declared.
Half of Sport1 sold to Turkey’s Acunmedya for €30m
Turkish media group Acunmedya has bought a 50-per-cent stake in German sports broadcaster Sport1 for €30m ($32.5m) following an agreement struck with owner Highlight Communications.
Viaplay ‘reset’ continues after SEK2.9bn Q4 loss closes turbulent year
Viaplay is to continue reducing its sports rights commitments, turning to sublicensing deals where possible to recoup fees, as part of its company-wide reset.
Sky NZ weighs up exclusivity balance amid rising subscriber costs
Sky New Zealand is considering an increased role for free-to-air coverage of sports events it acquires rights to, with the exclusivity balance to be “part of the conversation” during rugby rights negotiations lat…
Canal Plus-MultiChoice merger would cool super-heated African rights market
Sub-Saharan Africa has become the hottest sports-rights market in the world, but that dynamism could be brought to an abrupt halt if the proposed merger between France’s Canal Plus and South Africa’s MultiChoice goes ahead.
ESPN, Athletes Unlimited in multi-year deal for all four sports
Player-focused professional women's sports league Athletes Unlimited (AU) has signed a new multi-year deal with ESPN covering all four of its sports, including, for the first time, basketball
Fubo files antitrust complaint over ESPN-Fox-WBD streaming JV
Fubo is suing Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery over their recently announced joint venture sports streaming platform, calling the move an "extreme suppression of competition in the US sports-focused streaming market", according to a copy of the lawsuit.
DAZN names Daumin as first France CEO
DAZN has appointed former Canal Plus executive Brice Daumin to lead its French operation as it continues to target domestic rights to the country’s top football league.
IMG to make production redundancies, PLP and ETP unaffected
The IMG agency is undertaking a consultation process with staff with a view to making up to 35 layoffs at its studios business
US DOJ ‘to review’ ESPN-Fox-WBD streaming deal
The United States Justice Department (DOJ) is planning to scrutinise the new sports streaming service that Disney's ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery plan to launch later this year over potential antitrust breaches.