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 […]
Tag archives: media rights
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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. […]
Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour agree UK and global broadcast deals
River Media Partners will act as broadcast agent in the UK, while Eurosport will handle the global rights The Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour have agreed a partnership with Eurosport and the Global Cycling Network (GCN). The five-year deal sees the Women’s Tour produced for live coverage for the first time, and the Eurosport […]
Sky Sports signs multi-year deal with England Netball
The Vitality Netball Superleague will be shown free-to-air on Sky Sports’ YouTube channel Sky Sports has renewed its multi-year broadcast deal with England Netball. The agreement sees the Vitality Netball Superleague broadcast across Sky Sports and England Netball’s platforms, including free-to-air on their YouTube channels. Sky will also make highlights available for those who miss […]
Discovery+ to acquire exclusive rights separate from Eurosport
Discovery has a unique rights strategy for its new OTT platform Eurosport president Andrew Georgiou has revealed that Discovery+ will acquire sport rights that are exclusive to the platform. This could mean that the OTT service will provide sport coverage that linear broadcaster Eurosport does not. Speaking at the Broadcast Sport Virtual Breakfast Club on […]
BBC Sport secures clean sweep of World Indoor Tour rights
All five of the upcoming World Athletics World Indoor Tour meets will be covered by the BBC BBC Sport has secured the rights to the next five World Athletics World Indoor Tour events. All meetups will be streamed exclusively on BBC iPlayer, red button, and the BBC Sport website. There will also be highlights shows […]
BT Sport confirms Premier League TV schedule for next month
Starting from 26 January, BT Sport has confirmed that it will be showing 26 Premier League games in 30 days BT Sport has confirmed that it will show 26 matches as part of the Premier League’s new TV schedule. Starting from 26 January, the broadcaster is airing every team twice over ten days and follows […]
DAZN secures Movistar alliance and F1 rights acquisition
The deal means that DAZN will be available on the Movistar+ platform DAZN and Movistar have reached an agreement that sees the former distributed through the Movistar+ platform. DAZN also acquires the exploitation rights for Formula One World Championship in Spain until 2023, which will be shown on the new DAZN F1 channel on the […]
UFC secures Eleven and RMC Sport broadcast deals
Conor McGregor’s shock defeat to Dustin Poirier was aired on both networks last weekend UFC has secured new broadcast deals with Eleven Belgium and French broadcaster RMC Sport. Eleven’s multi-year deal began on Saturday, with Conor McGregor’s loss to Dustin Poirier the first bout to be broadcast as a result of it. The agreement means […]
IMG and Panasonic extend Sport 24 airlines deal
The 24/7 sports channel will continue to be shown on flights IMG and Panasonic Avionics Corporation have extended the deal that sees Sport 24 available to airlines worldwide. Panasonic will exclusively market the channel, plus its sister channel Sport 24 Extra, to airlines using other connectivity networks for the first time – meaning the service […]
2021 Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series boosts international reach
The horse racing event will be shown in the UK on Sky Sports Racing The 2021 Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series has increased its reach with nine new broadcasters. Distribution partner, HBA Media, has agreed deals to air the competition – which includes the $3 million (£2,188,425) Pegasus World Cup Invitational race – on […]
SailGP expands to eight races in second season schedule
It plans to get underway in Bermuda from April SailGP has announced the schedule for its second season, revealing that it will expand from five races to eight. It will get underway from 24 April in Bermuda, despite worries over the Covid-19 pandemic. Travelling across three continents and visiting seven new host venues, only San […]
Pure ETCR to reach over 250 million viewers in Eurosport partnership
The deal will see the racing series shown in more than 75 countries and territories Pure ETCR has reached a deal with Eurosport to show the competition in over 75 countries and territories. The electric racing series will use the most powerful touring cars ever built, reaching 500kW peak power – the equivalent of 670bhp. […]
Extreme E confirms Sky Sports will broadcast races
The electric racing series will get underway in March Extreme E has confirmed that its races will be broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK. The partnership with the subscription service joins the deal that the organisation has with BBC Sport – which will show races on its digital channels. Extreme E’s focus on the […]
La Liga launches invitation to tender for Indian subcontinent rights
Bids must be made by 8 February La Liga has kicked off the tendering process for audiovisual rights in the Indian subcontinent. Bidders are invited to submit offers for the 2021/22 season onwards, covering a minimum of three seasons and a maximum of five. The tender includes eight countries: Afghanistan (non-exclusive basis), Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, […]
Sportel to skip winter event, launches free webinars to fill gap
Monaco Mediax is hoping to get back to face-to-face later in the year Monaco Mediax, the organiser of the Sportel events, has decided against running the 2021 Winter edition. Sportel Monaco 2020 had been postponed from the autumn to this coming 22-24 February due to the Covid-19 crisis, but will now not go ahead because […]
Canal+ to broadcast Trophee des Champions alongside Mediapro
Paris St. Germain and Marseille will face each other in the marquee match. Canal+ will air the marquee Trophee des Champions in France this month, alongside Mediapro subscription service Telefoot. The match, usually played between the winner of Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France as a season-opener much like the Community Shield in the […]
Formula E extends broadcast deal and confirms Saudi Arabia night race start
The season will get underway on the last weekend of February Formula E has extended its Austrian free-to-air broadcaster ORF for another three seasons. The largest free-to-air broadcaster in Austria, ORF will show every qualifying session and E-Prix live on ORF1 and ORF Sport+ – continuing a relationship that has run since 2016. The first […]
Discovery+ hopes Olympics springboard can launch platform to new subscribers
Eurosport president Andrew Georgiou said Discovery+ wants to use the Olympics as a springboard Eurosport and global sports rights & sports marketing solutions president at Discovery Andrew Georgiou has outlined how Discovery+ hopes to use sport as a major draw for subscribers. The new platform will play host to the Olympics in several regions, and […]
Serie A officially launches domestic broadcast rights sales bidding
There are three packages available for broadcasters Serie A has officially launched the bidding process for its domestic broadcast rights for 2021-22 until 2023-24, with the deadline on 26 January. The Italian league has issued three packages: A, B, and C. Package A contains satellite platform rights and has a minimum price of €500 million […]
Report: Disney and Amazon considering move into English cricket broadcasting
This could mean that consumers will need multiple subscriptions to follow the England cricket team Disney is reportedly set to show the England cricket team’s tour of India this winter. In addition, Amazon is interested in the rights for the next Ashes series, which could force consumers into multiple subscriptions if they want to watch […]
World’s Strongest Man unveils paid behind-the-scenes content for Facebook
It will feature exclusive close-up looks at the making of the event The SBD World’s Strongest Man is offering fans the chance to pay for exclusive behind-the-scenes footage through Facebook. Premiering on 10 November, World’s Strongest Man: Live from Bradenton will include close-up looks at the making of the event. The episodes will stream every […]
HBA Media secures global distribution for Melbourne Cup
It will be the first time that the horse racing event is on a number of major networks HBA Media will distribute an the Lexus Melbourne Cup across all continents, with it appearing on a number of major networks for the first time on 3 November. Eurosport India (India), Supersport (Africa), Polsat (Poland), Movistar (Spain), […]
International rights for Lega Basket Serie A basketball to be sold online
The rights will open for bidders this week. The international broadcast rights for 380 live Lega Basket Serie A basketball games per season go live on sports media rights trading platform Content Arena this week. Information about the rights offering will be available on www.contentarena.com, where broadcasters will also be able to bid directly for […]
Broadcasters gain 20 extra live matches for 2020/21 Premier League season
It is just for the 2020/21 season, with fans unable to attend stadiums The Premier League has agreed to increase the number of matches broadcast live in the coming season. Originally 200 games were planned to be broadcast, but this will now increase to 220. With fans unable to attend stadiums due to the coronavirus […]
Revealed: Amazon Prime’s 2020/21 Premier League fixtures
Liverpool v Tottenham appears the highest profile game the OTT platform has so far Amazon Prime Video has revealed the Premier League matches it will be showing on its platform during the coming season, reports the Independent. Amazon will broadcast 22 games this campaign, which includes two full gameweeks in December and two other matches […]
Amazon Prime Video signs up local media rights for Seattle Sounders
It’s the second such move from the platform, after an earlier plan to stream the New York Yankees Amazon Prime Video has become the official video streaming partner of MLS side Seattle Sounders. The deal means that the OTT platform will now stream all non-nationally broadcast Sounders matches in their home broadcast territory of Washington […]
DAZN and Mediapro agree free-to-air boxing deal for GolTV
The deal will allow the GolTV network to begin airing Matchroom Boxing and Golden Boy Promotions bouts DAZN and Mediapro have agreed a deal that allows the free-to-air GolTV network to show the former’s boxing portfolio. Wednesday nights will see the network broadcasting the best classic fights, while Friday nights will have replays of recent […]
Eleven Sports and Telenet agree home of Belgian football distribution deal
This follows deals with Orange, Proximus, VOO, and Télésat / TV-Vlaanderen for the broadcaster’s channels Eleven Sports Belgium has agreed a deal with Telenet for its home of Belgian football offering. Over 750,000 homes in the country will now be able to enjoy the Belgian Pro League on Eleven Sports’ three channels. The broadcaster reached […]
DAZN to exclusively stream Whyte-Povetkin in nine markets
The two heavyweights feature in the event on 22 August DAZN has revealed that it will exclusively stream the boxing event headlined by the heavyweight clash between Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin in nine markets. Starting at 2pm BST on 22 August, the event will see the pair battle it out to see who becomes […]
BT Sport to show all behind-closed-doors Premiership Rugby matches
There will also be free-to-air coverage on Channel 5 of certain games BT Sport has agreed with Premiership Rubgy to show every match that is behind closed doors when the season restarts. In addition, Channel 5 will give free-to-air coverage of four of the remaining 57 ties, along with a highlights programme from 17 August. […]
Eleven Sports reveals rebrand and new content strategy
The broadcaster will now be known under the ‘Eleven’ brand umbrella Eleven Sports has revealed its rebrand as ‘Eleven’, at the same time unveiling a new content strategy on its five-year anniversary. Although established in countries across Asia and Europe, intially the ‘2.0’ strategy will focus on Belgium, Portugal, and Italy, with more to potentially […]
DAZN wins major German Champions League rights
It joins the broadcaster’s extensive Bundesliga coverage in the country DAZN has secured exclusive live and on-demand rights to the Champions League in Germany for the next three seasons. Running from the 2020/21 campaign until 2023/24, the deal allows DAZN to stream 121 of the 138 games from the play-offs to the final. This means […]
World Table Tennis partners with IMG on production and rights deals
The partnership will attempt to professionalise and commercialise table tennis around the world. World Table Tennis (WTT) is to enter a ‘strategic partnership’ with IMG for the global media rights development and distribution; production oversight of WTT events; and a mandate to grow the sport of table tennis globally. The betting data and streaming rights […]
SPORTEL CEO, Laurent Puons: “This year will be no exception”
Four months away from the flagship event, SPORTEL CEO, Laurent Puons confirms that it will be the “must-attend event” to get back on track after the period of uncertainty raised by the current COVID-19 crisis. How did the pandemic hit the sports industry? During these unprecedented times, with the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic currently […]
Eurosport agrees seven-year deal to screen superbike series
Broadcaster renews deal with British superbike event it’s been showing live since 2008. Eurosport has renewed its media partnership with the Bennetts British Superbike Championship to show exclusive live coverage from the event. It has agreed a new seven-year deal with rights holders MotorSport Vision Racing, which begins in 2021. Eurosport will continue to air […]
Eurosport hires Amar Melwani to bolster its D2C offering
Eurosport recruits OTT/D2C specialist to grow its D2C services. Eurosport has taken on Amar Melwani in the newly created position of vp, distribution partnerships and rights strategy. It’s part of a move by Eurosport to bolster its direct-to-consumer (D2C) efforts. Melwani joins from The Walt Disney Company where he worked on Disney+. He previously led […]
DAZN owner looks to sell an equity stake in the company
The pandemic sports cancellations are having a huge impact on the sports streamer. The owner of DAZN is reportedly looking to sell a stake in the company to raise revenue. According to a report in The Financial Times, DAZN owner Len Blavatnik is “exploring ways to inject new money into the loss making business”. It […]
Optus Sport wins K League rights for Australia
Live football in the K League begin again tomorrow. Optus Sport has picked up the Australian rights to South Korea’s top division of football, K League. It’s the second major Asian football win for Optus Sport following its acquisition of J.League rights for Australia earlier this year. The K League is one of the first […]
Belarus Premier League live sport gamble lands 10 TV deals
It is the last division in Europe to still be playing amid the coronavirus pandemic The Belarus Premier League has signed ten new TV rights deals as it continues to play despite the coronavirus pandemic. The division is the last to still be playing in Europe professionally, as the continent sees sporting events cancelled due […]
Eurovision Sport negotiates sport archive access for EBU members
The organisation has helped others across Europe to have access to the World Cup, Tour de France, and other major events Eurovision Sport has negotiated with sport federations to gain access to archive footage for European Broadcasting Union (EBU) members. The EBU revealed that the company had spoken with sports federations it is partnered with […]
Expert predicts turmoil for F1 as coronavirus effects hit
The racing series has had to delay the start to its season Formula One could be facing trouble with its broadcast and sponsorship incomes due to the effects of the coronavirus lockdowns. The racing series has had to delay the start to its season until at least June, with the iconic Monaco Grand Prix outright […]
Industry figure warns of ‘huge decline’ in Premier League broadcast income
Sports Lawyer Richard Cramer has some dramatic predictions for the sport industry Sports lawyer Richard Cramer believes the Premier League could lose money on broadcasting rights deals if the current coronavirus lockdown continues. Speaking to the The Sun, Cramer points to a lack of Sky subscriptions potentially causing the company to re-evaluate its huge rights […]
APAC sports media set for £1.7 billion coronavirus hit
However, Media Partners Asia does believe that there is some hope for the future Research and analytics agency Media Partners Asia (MPA) believes the APAC sport media sector could lose $2 billion (£1.7bn) in revenue from the coronavirus pandemic. Originally the Asia Pacific Sports Media 2020 report had estimated that there would be $5.7 billion […]
DFL postpones invitation to tender for Bundesliga rights
The Covid-19 pandemic means it’s no longer aiming to seal a deal by the end of May The German Football League (DFL) has announced that it is postponing its invitation to tender for domestic Bundesliga rights for the 2021-22 until 2024-25 seasons. On Tuesday 24 March, the governing body also decided to extend the suspension […]
Noah Media lands rights to AFL doc, The Australian Dream
The company will handle international sales for the film about AFL legend Adam Goodes Noah Media Group has acquired the international sales rights to Australian Football League feature documentary The Australian Dream. Directed by Daniel Gordon, known for his work on Hillsborough, written by journalist Stan Grant, and produced by Oscar winner John Battsek, the […]
MPs slam government for refusing to consider Six Nations listed status
The DCMS committee had called for the competition’s status to be reviewed The Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee has made clear its disappointment in the government rejecting its calls to consider the Six Nations’ listed event status. The competition has been the focus of reports that it may go behind a paywall, with the […]
Premier League fears broadcasters may sue over postponed season
The league has plans to fight back if Sky and BT move to recoup losses The Premier League is concerned that broadcasters may attempt to sue them over postponed matches, according to reports. The Daily Mail has reported that clubs are worried about the repercussions were they unable to complete the current season by 31 […]
Blast Premier esports tournament signs exclusive deal with TV2
The broadcaster will have exclusive rights in Norway TV2 Norway has agreed to be the exclusive Norwegian TV and online broadcaster for the Blast Premier season and Blast Premier Showdown Nordic qualifying tournament. The Counter Strike: Global Offensive esports tournament sees teams fighting it out for a $4.25 million (£3.47m) prize pool. TV2 will be […]
Facebook agrees deal with Fox Sports for Copa Libertadores rights
Fox Sports will continue to partner with the streaming platform in South America Facebook has agreed a deal with FOX Sports for Copa Libertadores media rights in Spanish speaking South America. The social media giant’s streaming platform, Facebook Watch, has renewed a sublicensing agreement with the pay-tv broadcaster to share rights until the quarter-final stage […]
IMG Arena agrees rights deal with European Volleyball Confederation
It has secured a worldwide live betting streaming and betting data rights partnership IMG Arena has agreed a long-term deal with the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) for the worldwide live betting streaming and betting data rights. Sports betting companies will have access to content from all three forms of volleyball – regular, beach, and snow. […]
Premier League suspended: European football’s reaction to Covid-19
Professional football has been suspended across Europe The Premier League, EFL, and WSL have announced that they will suspend professional football in England due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is currently planned to return on 4 April but will be subject to medical advice and conditions at the time. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea […]
FA looks to monetise women’s football rights for first time
It has brought in media rights specialists, Women’s Sport Group The FA is looking to monetise women’s football rights for the first time. Since 2011, the BBC and BT Sport have shown the Women’s Super League (WSL), only covering production costs in return – reports The Telegraph. The FA also launched the FA Player – […]