DCMS Select Committee questions BBC decision to broadcast MMA

The BBC has agreed to broadcast Bellator exclusively in the UK on BBC iPlayer in 2021 The Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee (DCMS) has questioned the BBC’s decision to broadcast MMA competitions in the UK. Citing fears over the effect of concussions, DCMS chair Julian Knight MP has written to BBC director-general Tim Davie […]

Premier League and La Liga capture 100 million user piracy operation

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, Football Association Pretoria, the Premier League and La Liga had complained about the mobile app Mobdro The Premier League and La Liga were among the complainants that have brought down piracy operation Mobdro. The application had over 100 million users, and illegally distributed video streams and TV channels. The […]

Facebook adds In Stream Ads for Live videos and expands eligibility

Broadcasters, production companies, publishers, influencers, creative industries, and more will be able to take advantage of the change Facebook has expanded the eligibility criteria for the use of In-Stream ads, as well as opening up their use for live streams. Pages now need 600,000 total minutes viewed and five or more active video uploads to […]

OneFootball partners with Brazilian Football Confederation on content

OneFootball app and website users will be able to see original content and the Brazilian football confederation’s editorial OneFootball and the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) have announced a content partnership. Users of the OneFootball app and website will be able to see original content and CBF editorial, making it the first national body to link […]

Giggabox appoints Martin Cracknell as CTO

Cracknell joins the virtual & hybrid event specialist and sports live streaming business after more than 30 years in the broadcast TV industry Giggabox has appointed Martin Cracknell as its chief technology officer. Cracknell joins the virtual & hybrid event specialist and sports live streaming business after a 30-year career spanning the Olympics, Wimbledon, Premiership […]

World Rugby to broadcast free live streams of Super Rugby in UK and globally

Ireland, some European countries, Asia (excluding Japan), North Africa and the Middle East will also be able to enjoy the free live sport World Rugby has agreed an interim deal with Rugby Australia to provide free live streams of Harvey Norman Super Rugby. Viewers in the UK, Ireland, some European countries, Asia (excluding Japan), North […]

La Liga expands live watch party platform

The platform allows La Liga to engage with fans through digital watch parties, trivia, and gamification La Liga has expanded its live watch party platform, which offers engagement with fans through digital watch parties, trivia, and gamification. Created through partnerships with sports fan engagement platform LiveLike and digital solutions and data-driven technology and marketing agency […]

Discovery combines sport and entertainment marketing solutions

The combination comes after the launch of OTT platform discovery+ in January Discovery has revealed that it has combined it sport and entertainment marketing solutions. Brand partners will be able to access all of Discovery’s content, on all platforms and in all territories, through a central buying point. This includes offshoots such as Eurosport and […]

Aurora to prepare World Championship Air Race broadcast format for take off

World Championship Air Race is set to commence in Q1 2022 World Championship Air Race (WCAR) has partnered with Aurora Media Worldwide to develop its broadcast format. Following last month’s announcement that WCAR has agreed a 15-year deal with the World Air Sports Federation to stage an international series of air race festivals, this is […]

KymiRing motorsports venue adds 5G network

The KymiRing is the largest motorsports and events venue in Northern Europe The KymiRing, the largest motorsports venue in Northern Europe, is installing a 5G private wireless network. Planned to be completed during 2021 by EDZCOM, the network should be capable of fulfilling international broadcasting needs and provide a safe and secure testing environment for […]

Amazon Prime Video to broadcast WTA & ATP Miami Open

The tennis tournament runs from 23 March until 4 April Amazon Prime Video is live and exclusively broadcasting the WTA and ATP Miami Open to UK & Ireland viewers. Running from 23 March until 4 April, with the finals taking place on the 3-4 April, the competition is taking place at the Hard Rock Stadium […]

F1 TV gets tune-up ahead of 2021 season and expansion

Race fans in Brazil, Czech Republic, and Slovakia will be able to tune into the service this season Formula One has updated its OTT subscription service F1 TV ahead of the 2021 season. Already available in 82 countries globally, the service is expanding to Brazil, Czech Republic, and Slovakia this year. The update was developed […]

IMG appoints Graham Fry executive chairman, production

Fry has been with IMG since 1991 and plans to retire by the end of 2022 IMG has revealed that Graham Fry is its new executive chairman, production. The move comes as Fry aims to manage the transition to new leadership when his career before the end of 2022. Fry joined the company in 1991, […]

How Hollywood stars and storytelling are moving into sport production

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s recent purchase of Wrexham AFC is just the latest sign of Hollywood’s growth in the sport sector Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s purchase of Wrexham AFC came as a shock to many, but for some in sport production it was just the latest sign of a growing trend in the […]

Eurosport celebrates International Women’s Day with Women In Sport special

There will be further content on Eurosport’s digital platforms, including additional feature interviews on Eurosport.com, supported by a social takeover on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Eurosport has announced a special one-hour Women In Sport special to celebrate International Women’s Day. Presented by Orla Chennaoui, the programme will include guests including former England netball head coach […]

Mo-Sys launches StarTracker Sports Studio virtual production system

Mo-Sys collaborated with Hyper Studios to combine the virtual production system with data-driven sports graphics Mo-Sys and Hyper Studios have partnered to create the StarTracker Sports Studio, a virtual production system combined with data-driven sports graphics. The studio contains a full virtual production system based on Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, and is capable of generating […]

Shoot the Company to produce UK Pro League tennis

Shoot the Company will create the live feed for BT Sport’s live weekend coverage of the year-round domestic tennis championship River Media Partners has revealed that Shoot the Copany will produce the broadcasts of the UK Pro League tennis competition. The film production company will create the live feed for BT Sport’s weekend coverage of […]

DAZN reveals chairman of the board

Kevin Mayer, formerly of Disney, has taken over from the departing John Skipper DAZN has appointed Kevin Mayer as its chairman of the board of directors, replacing former incumbent John Skipper. Mayer was chairman of direct-to-consumer and international at Disney before this appointment, and has over 30 years’ experience in the industry. This includes also […]

Rugby World Cup 2021 postponed

World Rugby is hoping to go ahead with the competition in 2022 World Rugby has postponed Rugby World Cup 2021 until 2022, because of the global Covid situation. The competition was due to be hosted in New Zealand from 18 September until 16 October, and it is now unclear what dates the women’s competition will […]

Channel 4 close to British and Irish Lions highlights rights – report

It would be the first time in 28 years that a Lions tour has been on free-to-air TV Channel 4 is close to agreeing a deal for the rights to highlights of the British and Irish Lions’ tour of South Africa, according to the Daily Telegraph. The deal would mean that Channel 4 will compile […]

LiveNow appoints head of sports

Peter Leible joins the company from Bundesliga International, where he was head of global audiovisual rights LiveNow has appointed Peter Leible as its head of sports. Leible joins the company from Bundesliga International, where as head of global audiovisual rights he was resonsible for $250 million (£179m) of media rights sales. He was previously head […]

How DAZN created ‘more than football’ documentary Club Ibiza: The Sessions

Co-director and executive producer, as well as DAZN SVP original programming, Grant Best, explained to Broadcast Sport how they built a documentary around Ibiza’s small football club DAZN released Club Ibiza: The Sessions last month, a documentary focusing on Spanish third tier football side UD Ibiza. Filmed almost entirely before Covid restrictions were announced, it […]

ICC and IMG partner to stream World Cup qualifying

Qualifying for the Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 and the Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 will be available online The ICC and IMG have agreed a partnership to live stream qualifying matches for the next three World Cups. The Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the Women’s T20 World Cup […]

Formula E broadcast in over 150 countries

Over 40 broadcasters aired the opening race in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia Formula E broadcast its opening weekend to over 150 countries, with more than 40 broadcasters showing the racing. In its first season as an FIA sanctioned event, the competition has expanded its broadcast partnerships so that it is in more than 30 languages around […]

BT TV adds Eurosport to packages for no extra cost

The Big Sport and VIP flexible packages will now give access to Eurosport 1 and 2 BT TV has added Eurosport 1 and 2 to its Big Sport and VIP packages at no extra cost. This means that customers who subscribe to those packages will now have access to the Tokyo Olympic Games this summer, […]

BT Sport to show Chelsea and Man City Women’s Champions League ties

Chelsea are up against Atletico Madrid, while Manchester City face Fiorentina BT Sport will broadcast Chelsea and Manchester City’s Round of 16 ties in the Women’s Champions League this week. The first legs are on 3 March, with Manchester City’s home clash with Fiorentina starting the action at 16.30. Reigning Super League champions Chelsea then […]

How BT Sport created football doc Ours mid-pandemic

Executive producer Sally Brown, director Tom Boswell, and journalist Mike Calvin told Broadcast Sport about what it took to create Ours “The last day of filming was also the day Boris cancelled Christmas, we were driving home from Bury thinking about what we were going back into.” BT Sport producer/director Tom Boswell, along with journalist […]

Melissa Payne appointed CEO (Media) for Ocean Globe and Golden Globe Races

Payne was a senior IMG executive before leaving the company last year Melissa Payne has been appointed chief executive officer (media) for the Ocean Globe Race (OGR) and Golden Globe Race (GGR). Payne was formerly vice president, head of technical services and also head of sailing/nautical sports at IMG Media, before leaving after 20 years’ […]

BT Sport to broadcast UK Pro League tennis

The competition was originally created during the first lockdown BT Sport has agreed to broadcast the UK Pro League tennis competition. The tournament was originally created by River Media in response the first lockdown and the lack of competitive opportunities resulting from it. The round robin league, which features British players competing against each other […]

Sky Sports announces rugby league pop-up channel

22-26 March will see nothing but rugby league played on what is currently Sky Sports Arena Sky Sports has announced that it will launch a rugby league pop-up channel in March. Ahead of the Super League season beginning on 26 March, what is currently Sky Sports Arena will broadcast non-stop rugby league from 22 March […]

Eleven Portugal signs up Formula E rights

It will broadcast the competition until 2023 Eleven Portugal has secured the live rights to Formula E until 2023. Starting with the Diriyah E-Prix in Saudi Arabia this Friday, the broadcaster will complement the live action with in-depth analysis and opinion from a dedicated Formula E punditry team. Portuguese fans will tune in to see […]

FIBA and Twitch agree to bring more basketball to platform

The deal will mean that over 600 hours of live basketball will be broadcast on the live streaming service The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has agreed a deal with Twitch to bring more basketball content to the platform. The first such deal between Twitch and an international federation, the agreement means that over 600 hours […]

Professional Triathletes Organisation partners with YouGov Sport

YouGov Sport will provide analysis of the media and economic impact of the Collins Cup The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) has commissioned YouGov Sport to assess the media and economic impact of the inaugural Collins Cup. The Collins Cup will be the PTO’s flagship event, and is running for the first time this year on […]

Amazon Prime announces All or Nothing: Juventus

The documentary follows the team through the 2020/21 season Amazon Prime Video has announced the latest club it will focus on in the All or Nothing documentary series, Serie A giants Juventus. The documentary will follow the Bianconeri through the 2020/21 season. It has been a tumultuous campaign, with the late appointment of club legend […]

StreamAMG to create Canadian basketball OTT service

The Canadian Elite Basketball League will be available to viewers globally The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) and StreamAMG have partnered to put together a new OTT service. It is hoped that the service will be in place ahead of the 2021 season, which is yet to be scheduled. With free agency now taking place […]

Gwangju esports arena adds Ross Video tech

The Gwangju esports arena will be putting several pieces of Ross Video equipment to use The Gwangju esports arena has added Ross Video technology to process the video created on site. The South Korean city has recently built the purpose-built arena as part of a government push to build more dedicated esports venues. Ross Video’s […]

Sky Sports to broadcast India v England ODIs and T20 series

India’s home tours against South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, and Sri Lanka will also be shown over the next 12 months Sky Sports has agreed a deal to broadcast the three ODI and five T20 matches of England’s tour of India. The pay-TV provider lost out to free-to-air Channel 4 for the test series, […]

Aurora to produce RCCO World eX Championship

Aurora Media Worldwide will produce the #RacingForTheClimate broadcast show Aurora Media Worldwide is partnering with the RCCO World eX Championship to create the #RacingForTheClimate broadcast show. Aurora has experience with sustainability-led competitions through its work with Formula E and Extreme E, and will produce the programme for OTT and broadcast channels worldwide – including RCCO […]

Extreme E reveals live presentation ‘Command Centre’

Team members will watch the races and make strategic decisions from inside the room Extreme E has revealed the ‘Command Centre’ where key members will watch races and make strategic decisions. Made in partnership with live event production specialists ADI, the room is expected to play a key part in broadcasts. The room aims to […]

Amazon Prime and Universal name release date for Sir Alex Ferguson doc

It will be in cinemas 27 May followed by Amazon Prime Video in the UK & Ireland from 29 May Amazon Prime and Universal have reavealed that Sir Alex Ferguson documentary, Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In, will be released in cinemas 27 May. This will be followed by a release on Amazon Prime Video […]

Discovery secures exclusive Giro d’Italia rights until 2025

Eurosport, discovery+, and the Global Cycling Network will broadcast the competition Discovery has secured the exclusive global rights to the Giro d’Italia, exclusing Italy, San Marino, and Vatican City on a non-exclusive basis. The long-term deal agreed with RCS Sport via IMG means that the Grand Tour will be broadcast through linear on Eurosport, on […]

BT Sport to kick off football fan-focused doc Ours

It will premiere on BT Sport 1 on 2 March BT Sport is to premiere football fan-focused documentary, Ours, on 2 March next month. Airing at 10.30pm on BT Sport 1, the film looks at the role that fans have in the future of football. Written and narrated by journalist Michael Calvin, and directed by […]

World’s Strongest Man moves to Sacramento

The capital of California will host the competition from 15-20 June this year World’s Strongest Man has revealed a multi-year deal with the Visit Sacramento Sports Commission to host the event. The event will be in the Californian capital fro 15-20 June this year, and will return for 2022 and again for an as yet […]

S4C to broadcast Wales’ 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign

Wales face Belgium, Czech Republic, Belarus and Estonia in their qualifying group Wales men’s team’s qualifying campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be broadcast in full on Welsh-language free-to-air channel S4C. Beginning on 24 March with a away clash against Belgium, the campaign will run until November with matches with other […]

UFC to deliver weekly livestreams on TikTok

UFC is the third most followed sports league on the platform, with over 6.3 million followers UFC and TikTok have agreed a ‘multi-year’ deal that will see the former deliver exclusive weekly livestreams to the platform. Starting this week with content created around the 20 February Blaydes v Lewis Fight Night in Las Vegas, the […]

Eight new broadcasters in the saddle for Saudi Cup

Sky Sports Racing and Racing TV will continue to broadcast the world’s richest horse race in the UK HBA Media has licensed the live production of the 20 February Saudi Cup to eight new broadcasters. The addition of RAI (Italy), Sky Italia (Italy), Sport TV (Portugal), Setanta (Baltics), Movistar (Spain), NENT (Scandinavia), CYTA (Cyprus) and […]

Breakfast Club: The FA and Digital Sports Mgmt on esports moving into the mainstream

Senior content innovations manager at The FA, Damien Cullen, and Jennifer Davidson, senior partnerships manager at Digital Sports Management, told the Broadcast Sport Breakfast Club about esports’ future Speaking at the Broadcast Sport Breakfast Club on Wednesday, FA senior content innovations manager Damien Cullen and Digital Sports Management senior partnerships manager Jennifer Davidson told viewers […]

Ocean Outdoor and BT Sport to air Champions League outdoors

The exclusive digital content deal is the first of its kind for the outdoor advertising board company Outdoor advertising board company Ocean Outdoor has signed a deal with BT Sport to show content from its Champions League broadcasts. The agreement means that Ocean Outdoor will be able to broadcast next-day match clips from the UEFA […]

Breakfast Club: Facebook on audience development and monetisation

Anna Chanduvi, lead, sports media partnerships EMEA, Facebook told the Broadcast Sport Breakfast Club how to make the most of its platforms Facebook’s lead, sports media partnerships, EMEA, Anna Chanduvi, spoke to the Broadcast Sport Breakfast Club on Wednesday. One of the key takeaways from the talk  were the insights into audience development and monetisation […]

Revealed: The BBC’s plans for Bellator on iPlayer

Head of radio and digital, BBC Sport, Ben Gallop, tells Broadcast Sport about what the broadcaster has in mind for the MMA competition MMA competition Bellator will be shown on BBC iPlayer throughout 2021, thanks to a deal agreed by the free-to-air broadcaster. This comes after Bellator Paris was shown on the platform back in […]

Infosys serves virtual experiences for Australian Open

The company attempts to recreate the feeling of the Australian Open with AI, cloud, and 3D virtual experiences Infosys has created a series of virtual experiences to try and recreate the feeling of attending the Australian Open. Using AI, cloud technology, and 3D virtual experiences, the company has brought a number of features to the […]

Rugby League World Cup appoints RDA for international media distribution

The 2021 edition of the competition will be taking place in October and November of this year Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) has appointed UK-based agency RDA to support it with the handling of international media distribution rights. The agreement covers all territories outside of the UK and Ireland, where the BBC will be […]

DAZN considering Premier League domestic rights bid – report

The OTT platform would have to compete with current rights holders BT Sport, Sky Sports, and Amazon Prime Video DAZN is weighing up a bid for the domestic Premier League rights for the 2022/23 until 2024/25 seasons, according to the Telegraph. The rights for the 2022-25 seasons will be up for grabs this spring, with […]

BT Sport match day experience now available to all customers

This month has seen the broadcaster make the features available on Android devices BT Sport’s matchday experience features have become available to almost all customers this month. The broadcaster has now made its ‘manager mode’, watch together, and 360 offerings accessible via its Android app, with stadium experience and matchday live to be added to […]

Rakuten TV announces sumo wrestling doc The Giants

The Giants will be available to viewers from this summer Rakuten TV has announced a new documentary series focusing on the stories of the first non-Japanese sumo wrestling champions, named The Giants. Filming has aready begun in Hawaii and Japan, focusing on the likes of Konishiki Yasokichi, one of the heaviest sumo wrestlers in history […]

Sports Flick Global partners with Grabyo for localised live broadcasts

Grabyo’s cloud platform will be used by the OTT and pay-per-view live sport platform OTT and pay-per-view live sport platform Sports Flick Global has partnered with Grabyo to deliver localised broadcasts to subscribers. Sports Flick will tailor its international broadcasts to regional audiences, including the use of local talent for presentation and commentary. This will […]

AWS and Bundesliga kick off new in-game match facts

Most Pressed Player, Attacking Zones, and Average Positions – Trends will all be available to broadcasters during matches Amazon Web Services and the Bundesliga have launched three new in-game match facts, beginning from Matchday 21 on 12 February. From this weekend, broadcasters will have access to Most Pressed Player, Attacking Zones, and Average Positions – […]

LaLigaTV added to Amazon Prime Video Channels

It will be available for £6.99-a-month through the OTT platform LaLigaTV has agreed a UK distribution deal with Amazon Prime Video, becoming available on the platform as a channel from this weekend. The channel, which shows all available live LaLiga matches, more than 25 hours of weekly live studio programming and exclusive new interviews, 24/7 […]

World Rugby partners with Whisper ahead of 2021 World Cup

Whisper has also made a double appointment to boost its sport production offering in Australasia ahead of the World Cup in New Zealand World Rugby has appointed Whisper as its key digital video and audio production producer for 2021. In a year that includes the 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, Whisper will create […]

Ostmodern wins £2 million investment for Skylark Platform

Ostmodern has worked with the likes of Formula One, Arsenal, and Channel 4 in the past Puma Private Equity has completed a £2 million investment in design and creative technology business Ostmodern. The investment is directed towards helping Ostmodern develop its Skylark Platform with new hires and features. Skylark Platform is the company’s CMS, VMS, […]

Nascar adds LiveLike interactive audience experience

Features including polls, predictions, a cheer meter, emoji sliders, and alerts will be available Nascar has added interactive audience engagement features to its app for the 2021 season. The organisation is working with LiveLike to provide interactive features such as polls, predictions, a cheer meter, emoji sliders, and alerts through the live sections of its […]

Scotland’s victory over England bags ITV 8.7m viewers

It is the biggest Calcutta Cup audience in over a decade on the free-to-air broadcaster ITV drew a peak audience of 8.7 million viewers for Scotland’s victory over England on Saturday. It was Scotland’s first win at Twickenham since 1983, and clearly excited viewers across the nation. It beat the 8.6 million peak for last […]

SquashTV launches in UK & Ireland

Over 600 live squash matches are expected to be broadcast on the OTT service SquashTV has launched in Europe, and the UK & Ireland, after the end of an agreement with Eurosport Player. The broadcast deal with Eurosport Player came to an end on 8 February, having previously meant that SquashTV was only available outside […]

Revealed: How the NFL created a digital Vince Lombardi for Superbowl LV

Viewers saw the hologram/digital human combo before the big match began The work that went into creating a digital version of former NFL coach and executive Vince Lombardi for Superbowl LV has been revealed. Ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ dismantling of the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, fans in the US viewing both at […]

Ligue 1 finds new broadcaster after Mediapro pullout

Canal+ has picked up the extra games available for the French top division Ligue 1 has agreed a deal with Canal+ to air the remainder of this season’s matches. The broadcaster is stepping in after the organisation’s original deal with Mediapro fell through. It had been planned to run until 2024, and it is still […]

BT Sport to air England cricket tours of West Indies and New Zealand

All domestic and international cricket from the two federations will be shown by the broadcaster BT Sport will air the England men’s and women’s cricket teams upcoming tours of the West Indies and New Zealand. The broadcaster has signed multi-year deals with the two federations to show all domestic and international cricket based in them. […]

La Liga becomes first major league to use cutting-edge cameras in live broadcasts

The technology allows to get closer to the players than they have before La Liga and Mediapro have begun to use cutting edge cameras to bring fans closer to players in live broadcasts – which you can see in the video above. The innovation, using a Sony A7S II camera (35mm sensor), Sony optics (Zeiss) […]

Southampton FC reveals content strategy behind growing TikTok presence

The social media platform is growing in importance for sporting organisations Southampton FC has revealed the strategy behind its successful TikTok presence. The Premier League club has seen its follower count increase by 170,000, to 190,000 total, in the last year on the platform, which has growing popularity with younger age groups, allowing it to […]

LaLiga sell SmartBank second division rights in UK & Ireland for first time

Three matches a week will be available on the LiveScore app Mobile app LiveScore has agreed stream three LaLiga SmartBank matches a week, free-to-air. This is the first time that the rights for the Spanish second division have been sold in the UK and Ireland. LiveScore is also a global sponsor of the top division, […]

Channel 4 brings test cricket back to terrestrial TV for first time since 2005

England’s test series against India will be shown on the free-to-air broadcaster from Friday Channel 4 will air England’s test series against India, bringing test cricket back to terrestrial TV for the first time since the 2005 Ashes. Global rights holder Star Sports has signed a deal with Channel 4 for the four match series. […]