Rugby Union

Football
Europe

The BBC’s takeover of Formula One rights this year has boosted revenues and audiences for the sport in the UK but is having less positive effects elsewhere.

Rugby Union
Europe

UK audiences for this year’s rugby union autumn internationals were both up for the second year in succession.

Cricket
Asia

Cricket: Entertainment Sports & Direct acquired the theatrical rights for the Indian Premier League in a 10-year deal from 2010 to 2019, paying Rs3.3 bn ($70m)
Baseball
Asia

Baseball: Chinese broadcasters Shenzhen TV, Jiangsu TV and Beijing TV acquired packages of rights for Major League Baseball matches in 2009 and 2010 in deals with Major League Baseball International,…
Football
Africa

A takeover of Saudi-owned Middle East pay-broadcaster Arab Radio and Television by Qatar-based Al Jazeera Sports is likely to still go ahead, according to industry insiders.

Athletics
Europe

The IAAF has returned to the European Broadcasting Union in its attempts to find a buyer for the European media rights for its events for the next four-year period.
Australian Rules Football
Europe

Germany’s Bundesliga and martial arts’ Ultimate Fighting Championship are among only a handful of sports rights properties to have avoided major rights-fee cuts in the UK following Setanta’s collapse.

Rugby Union
Europe

The Pitch International agency is poised to further extend its rugby union portfolio following on from this week’s deal for Six Nations international rights.
Basketball
Asia

Basketball: Italian pay-broadcaster Sky Italia acquired the exclusive live rights for the top-tier domestic Serie A league in a two-year deal with Lega Basket, paying €5.4m ($7.6m).
Football
Africa

The Premier League is set to stagger its next international rights sales process in a move that will rule out what was always a remote possibility of someone making a worldwide bid for the rights.
Athletics
Asia

Athletics: US broadcaster NBC and its cable and broadband subsidiary Universal Sports acquired the rights for the World Athletics Series, covering Indoor and outdoor World Championships and other events,…
Badminton
Asia

Basketball: Eurosport Deutschland acquired live rights for nine selected playoff matches from Germany’s top league, the Basketball Bundesliga, in a deal with the league and rights-holder Sportdigital.tv.
Rugby Union
Europe

Ireland’s first Grand Slam victory since 1948 helped rugby union Six Nations broadcasters in Ireland and the UK post record television audiences for the 2009 championship.

Football
Europe

A Formula One television rights deal in the Middle East looks set to go down to the wire, with just two weeks left until the season-opener.
Cricket
Asia

Sony is facing a massive loss on its coverage of India’s cricket tour to New Zealand, which started this week.
Cricket
Africa

South Africa’s state broadcaster, SABC, was slammed last week over its request for extensive additions to the country’s list of events of national importance that must be aired on free-to-air television.
Rugby Union
Europe

Sky Italia’s acquisition of Six Nations rugby rights has prompted calls for Italy’s matches to be added to the list of sports events protected for free-to-air television.
Basketball
Asia

Basketball: Brazilian commercial broadcaster Globo is to acquire the rights for the new, top-flight domestic basketball league, Novo Basquete Brasil, for R$1.5m (€474,000/ $633,710) a season.