Belgium

Belgacom awarded Belgian football rights

msherlock — Wed, 4 Jun 2008 10:56:06 +0100

Belgacom secured the broadcast rights for the top-tier Belgian football league in a three-year deal worth about €44.7 million per year. The deal covers the 2008-09 to 2010-11 seasons.

RTBF launches HD version of La Une

mglendinning — Tue, 3 Jun 2008 10:35:39 +0100

Belgian French-language public broadcaster, RTBF, has launched a high definition version of its main channel – La Une.

European Parliament votes against player quotas

mglendinning — Fri, 9 May 2008 10:31:51 +0100

The European Parliament voted yesterday in favour of a report, which opposes the introduction of rules such as Sepp Blatter’s proposed ‘6+5’ limit on the number foreign players at football clubs.

G-14 welcomes UEFA Champions League u-turn

mglendinning — Mon, 3 Dec 2007 10:00:14 +0000

The head of the G-14 group of Europe’s most powerful football clubs has welcomed UEFA's u-turn on proposals to revise the qualification route for the Champions League.

Belgium and Netherlands Football Associations announce interest in joint 2018 bid

msherlock — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:19:33 +0000

The presidents of the football associations of Belgium, François de Keersmaecker, and the Netherlands, Mathieu Sprengers, officially announced their interest in submitting a joint bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup™.

ESA debates sponsorship evaluation framework

mglendinning — Fri, 9 Nov 2007 10:00:50 +0000

The European Sponsorship Association's ‘Future Sponsorship’ conference (November 8-9) in Brussels has discussed the establishment of a new framework for sponsorship evaluation.

European Sponsorship Association opens Brussels office

msherlock — Thu, 6 Sep 2007 10:29:38 +0100

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) expanded with the opening of an office in Brussels. This follows a period of growth for the membership association which looks after the interests of sponsors, rights holders, agencies and professional advisors working within the sponsorship industry.

ING AGREES SPONSORSHIPS FOR BELGIAN AND AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

msherlock — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 09:24:33 +0100

ING reinforced its commitment to Formula One with the announcement of the title sponsorship of the Belgian Grand Prix, to be held at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit on September 14-16th.

CITIES IN HUNT FOR 2014 PRESENT TO EOC

cbritcher — Fri, 8 Dec 2006 06:15:33 +0000

The three cities bidding to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games will present their case to the general assembly of the European Olympic Committee (EOC) in Brussels today.

SPONSORSHIP IS THE WAY FORWARD

msherlock — Tue, 7 Nov 2006 09:02:00 +0000

The major issues facing the sponsorship industry were addressed at the annual ESA Conference, ‘Future Sponsorship’ held in Brussels last week. The opening keynote speech came from Havas Chief Executive Officer Fernando Rodés, who confirmed the increasingly important role sponsorship will play in the coming years, describing it as the way forward for marketing. “It is sponsorship’s ability to deliver marketing’s current needs – namely the interactivity and connection between the brand and consumers”, said Rodés.

MEDIA PARTNERS & SILVA RENEWS SERIE A CONSULTING DEAL

msherlock — Fri, 3 Nov 2006 10:01:02 +0000

Acid Sport, the French-based company agreed a three-year extension to its consulting deal with Media Partners & Silva.

FIFA SET TO ACT ON COMPENSATION

msherlock — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 10:27:46 +0100

FIFA, world football’s governing body, could be set to reach a compromise deal with the G14 group of leading football clubs over the issue of compensation for clubs whose stars are on international duty.

SLIMMED DOWN F1 CALENDAR UNVEILED

admin — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 05:37:00 +0100

Motorsport world governing body the FIA has unveiled the trimmed down calendar for next year’s Formula One season.

SPORTELMONACO 2006 EXHIBITION SPACE SELLING OUT

admin — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 09:38:22 +0100

With more than 2 months to go before the opening of SPORTELMonaco 2006, exhibitors have committed to more than 85% of the expanded floor space in the Grimaldi Forum.

ESPN CLASSIC EXTENDS REACH TO SPANISH MARKET

admin — Wed, 5 Jul 2006 11:48:51 +0100

The 24-hour sports channel ESPN Classic agreed a deal with Spanish telecoms company TelefC3nica for carriage on its IPTV platform Imagenio. The deal marks the channel’s first move into the Spanish IPTV market.

MASSEY NEW OCTAGON UK CHIEF

admin — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 05:45:06 +0100

Marketing giant Octagon has confirmed Coca-Cola executive Nick Massey is to take over as managing director of its UK operation – Octagon UK.

ESPN CLASSIC LAUNCHES IN TURKEY

admin — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 08:26:21 +0000

Turkey is the latest country to sign up sports TV network ESPN Classic, following a carriage deal inked with Turkey’s leading digital platform, Digiturk.

NASN PITCH IN WITH EXCLUSIVE MLB DEAL

admin — Tue, 14 Mar 2006 09:34:12 +0000

NASN and Major League Baseball (MLB) have reached a groundbreaking five-year, pan-European broadcast deal, beginning with the 2006 season.

VENUE FEARS PROMPT PROBE

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 20:50:08 +0000

Safety concerns at a leading European stadium could lead it to be replaced as a nation’s traditional home venue.

IAAF MAKES GOLDEN LEAGUE CHANGES

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 10:23:49 +0000

Next year's Golden League athletics meetings will start in Oslo on June 2, the sport's ruling body (the IAAF) said.

BELGIANS SEEK ECCLESTONE HELP

admin — Wed, 9 Nov 2005 10:43:25 +0000

Belgium's regional Walloon government is set to ask Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone for help to secure the future of the country's grand prix.

TV TRIO FOR EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL

admin — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 08:33:16 +0100

Euroleague Basketball has agreed television deals with BR3 Germany, BETV Belgium and MegaSports in the Ukraine.

EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL IN EUROSPORT DEAL

admin — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 08:47:17 +0100

Euroleague Basketball and the pan-European sport channel Eurosport 2 have announced a new deal for coverage of the ULEB Cup, starting on November 8, 2005.

EU DENIES FIFTY PER CENT CAP

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 08:56:51 +0100

European officials have denied that they ever proposed the FA Premier League would have to insist on no single broadcaster winning the rights to 50 per cent of future games.

TWO SENIOR PROMOTIONS AT OCTAGON

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 08:55:33 +0100

In a bid to bolster its event management expertise, Octagon has promoted Bob Verbeeck to president of global event management.

UEFA WEBSITE SCORES NEW HIGH

admin — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 11:09:32 +0100

The official UEFA website, uefa.com, registered a record number of page views and visits following last night's Champions League games.

NASN SECURES NFL RIGHTS IN EUROPE

admin — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 09:50:43 +0100

NASN (the North American Sports Network) has acquired exclusive broadcast rights to the National Football League (NFL) in 17 European countries and shared rights in another four.

NASN SECURES NFL RIGHTS IN EUROPE

admin — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 09:50:29 +0100

NASN (the North American Sports Network) has acquired exclusive broadcast rights to the National Football League (NFL) in 17 European countries and shared rights in another four.

SIA ON TRACK WITH EUROSTAR

admin — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 10:02:03 +0100

The Sport Industry Awards has agreed a major new partnership with Eurostar, the fast train service linking the UK with France and Belgium.

OLYMPIC AND SPORTS MARKETING JOINT VENTURE

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 09:06:13 +0100

Burson-Marsteller and Helios Partners have joined forces in an Olympic and sports marketing business relationship.

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR IAAF AND TWI

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 09:03:54 +0100

The IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) has appointed TWI to distribute the exclusive worldwide TV rights for the its TDK Golden League from 2006 to 2009.

ESPN'S DAZZLES VIEWERS

admin — Wed, 4 May 2005 09:40:32 +0100

ESPN Classic Sport has teamed up with Belgian diamond co-operative, The YAM (Young Antwerp Manufacturers), and Diamdel, a specialist supplier of rough diamonds, to stage a dazzling competition for viewers.

UEFA AGREES CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RIGHTS

admin — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 10:47:17 +0100

UEFA has awarded French speaking and Flemish speaking Belgium broadcast rights to RTL-TVI and VTM respectively.

TV DEAL FOR BRAZIL/ARGENTINA QUALIFIERS

admin — Tue, 29 Mar 2005 09:28:22 +0100

World Champions Brazil and South American arch-rivals Argentina will have their 2006 World Cup qualifying matches televised in Scandinavia and Turkey under new distribution agreements, rights owner Traffic Sports Marketing has announced.

SPORTEL ASIA REGISTRATION BOOST

admin — Wed, 9 Mar 2005 09:36:08 +0000

With less than a week to go before SPORTELAsia 2005, all floor space has been sold and more than 250 companies from 41 countries worldwide have registered for the market.

SPORTEL ASIA REGISTRATION BOOST

admin — Wed, 9 Mar 2005 09:36:03 +0000

With less than a week to go before SPORTELAsia 2005, all floor space has been sold and more than 250 companies from 41 countries worldwide have registered for the market.

NBA ALL-STAR'S GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

admin — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 11:11:02 +0000

The 2005 NBA All-Star events will be televised in 214 countries in 45 languages via 97 international telecasters.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RIGHTS SALES KICK OFF

admin — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 10:25:15 +0000

UEFA has begun sales of broadcast rights to soccer’s UEFA Champions League for the 2006-2009 seasons.

ESPN CLASSIC SPORT LAUNCHES IN PORTUGAL

admin — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 17:07:47 +0000

ESPN Classic Sport has launched in Portugal on popular cable network Cabovisao.

ESPN CLASSIC SPORT LAUNCHES IN PORTUGAL

admin — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 17:07:05 +0000

ESPN Classic Sport has launched in Portugal on popular cable network Cabovisao.

ESPN CLASSIC SPORT TO DEBUT IN BELGIUM

admin — Mon, 10 Jan 2005 09:14:42 +0000

ESPN Classic Sport is set to launch in Belgium on Monday, following a carriage deal secured with leading Belgian cable operator Telenet.

THE WEEK THAT WAS...

admin — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 10:45:02 +0000

Editorial director Kevin Roberts reviews the issues of the past seven days.

EUROPEAN LEAGUES TO FORM PRESSURE GROUP

admin — Wed, 1 Dec 2004 08:44:41 +0000

Fifteen European soccer leagues, including those from England, Italy, Spain, Germany and France plan to form a federation to ensure their voices are heard in dealings with UEFA and the European Union.

NEW POSITION FOR LOTTO'S LANDI

admin — Tue, 23 Nov 2004 09:38:40 +0000

Alberto Landi is Lotto Sport Italia’s new marketing and communication director.

BRUSSELS PULLS OUT

admin — Fri, 29 Oct 2004 07:45:04 +0100

Brussels has withdrawn from the race to host the 2009 World Athletics Championships due to financial difficulties, officials have announced.

NORDIC WORLD CUP RIGHTS DEAL

admin — Tue, 19 Oct 2004 08:05:06 +0100

Infront Sports & Media has reached an exclusive agreement with a group of leading Nordic broadcasters for a substantial package of rights to FIFA’s top events, including the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

UEFA IN HOMEGROWN TALENT PLEA

admin — Tue, 5 Oct 2004 08:46:55 +0100

UEFA has urged its member associations to embrace proposals to "create a level playing field" by introducing a Europe-wide policy on clubs using homegrown players.

INFRONT SECURE CZECH WORLD CUP RIGHTS

admin — Fri, 1 Oct 2004 11:01:53 +0100

Infront Sports & Media has reached an exclusive agreement with Czech TV for the television rights of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in the Czech Republic.

THE WEEK THAT WAS...

admin — Fri, 1 Oct 2004 10:50:09 +0100

Editorial director Kevin Roberts reviews some of the issues of the past seven days

INFRONT SECURE WORLD CUP RIGHTS

admin — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 08:42:47 +0100

Infront Sports & Media has reached an exclusive agreement for the television rights to the 2006 FIFA World CupTM for the territory defined as French-speaking Belgium.

TALKSPORT IN BBC SPAT

admin — Tue, 14 Sep 2004 08:44:35 +0100

UK radio station TalkSport has complained to the European Commission that the BBC overpaid for its three-year deal to broadcast live Premiership football.

Nations set for 2012 push

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2004 06:43:59 +0100

Scotland and Ireland are set to team up once again to present a joint bid to stage the Euro 2012 soccer tournament.

IAAF's Euro bids

admin — Fri, 2 Jul 2004 07:41:53 +0100

Europe will host the 2009 IAAF World Championships after the final bids to stage the athletics showcase were received by the sport’s governing body.

Financial backing for Champions Tour

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2004 06:29:20 +0100

The Stanford Financial Group has signed up as official sponsor of the rankings on tennis’ Delta Tour of Champions.

G14 hopes for Swiss support

admin — Thu, 3 Jun 2004 07:27:45 +0100

The G14 hopes to discover later this month if Swiss competition chiefs will push for further action against FIFA in the on-going row over the use of players for international tournaments.

G14 meeting next week

admin — Wed, 26 May 2004 07:48:35 +0100

European soccer lobby group the G14 will meet in Brussels next week to consider its next move.

Eurodata set for Euro 2004

admin — Fri, 23 Apr 2004 06:31:01 +0100

International TV data bank service Eurodata TV is to launch a service during this summer’s Euro 2004 to provide its clients with overnight TV audiences of all the tournament’s matches.

Sponsorship's new Proposal

admin — Tue, 9 Mar 2004 09:19:06 +0000

A new sponsorship consultancy has been set-up – created following a comment made in our sister publication SportBusiness International.

Blackshaw's latest legal challenge

admin — Fri, 5 Mar 2004 08:59:13 +0000

International sports lawyer, and regular sportbusiness.com contributor Ian Blackshaw has been appointed the first Fellow of the International Sports Law Centre at the prestigious Asser Instituut in The Hague, Holland.

Hammonds strengthen sports side

admin — Thu, 4 Mar 2004 08:34:31 +0000

UK law firm Hammonds has appointed two partners from Olswang: EU and competition law partner, Alasdair Bell, and sports and advertising/marketing law partner Louise Quinn.

MotoGP speeds up TV growth

admin — Tue, 10 Feb 2004 08:51:24 +0000

MotoGP's TV growth shows no signs of slowing after it clinched a string of rights deals as it continues to rev up for the start of the new season.

Mosley and EC clash again

admin — Fri, 23 Jan 2004 09:33:06 +0000

The war of words between Formula One chiefs and the European Commission has flared up once more, with FIA chief Max Mosley calling recent comments ‘unacceptable’ – heightening the prospect of a boycott of European races.

'Serious' risk of F1 boycott

admin — Wed, 21 Jan 2004 09:30:56 +0000

Max Mosley, president of motorsport governing body the FIA says he is hopeful a resolve will be reached after new EU regulations cast a shadow over a number of European races – but confirmed there was a ‘serious’ risk of races being boycott.

ESPN Classic goes English

admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2003 10:06:22 +0000

Archive sports network ESPN Classic Sport is branching out even further by rolling out a new English-language channel in over 50 European countries.

MotoGP figures leap

admin — Tue, 16 Dec 2003 15:54:10 +0000

Live coverage of MotoGP races in 2003 has increased by an average of 138 million – according to rights holders Dorna.

UEFA opens on EU doorstep

admin — Wed, 26 Nov 2003 09:03:57 +0000

UEFA has opened a new office in Brussels in a bid to deal more closely with European Union chiefs.

Beach soccer set for expansion

admin — Thu, 6 Nov 2003 10:29:36 +0000

The European Pro Beach Soccer League (EPBSL) is set to expand in 2004 after organisers agreed to take on more clubs.

ESCA examines regulations

admin — Wed, 5 Nov 2003 15:25:15 +0000

The regulation of sponsorship across Europe will be one of the main topics of debate at the ESCA Congress later this month.

Italian law under EC spotlight

admin — Tue, 4 Nov 2003 14:29:56 +0000

A number of major Italian soccer clubs face a possible financial crisis if the EU rules against a rule passed by the Italian government granted clubs the opportunity to spread repayment of debts.

WTA's Scott enters debate

admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2003 10:03:34 +0000

Larry Scott has further stoked up the debate over sponsorship measurement by calling on new techniques to focus on return on investment.

ESCA early bird discount

admin — Mon, 6 Oct 2003 09:33:16 +0100

Time is running out to take advantage of the early bird registration discount for next month’s ESCA Congress – one of the most important dates in the European sponsorship calendar.

Brussels braced for 2016 bid

admin — Wed, 24 Sep 2003 08:35:05 +0100

Belgium's capital Brussels has said it plans to bid for the 2016 Olympic Games.

ESCA set for Congress

admin — Fri, 19 Sep 2003 07:46:18 +0100

Sport sponsorship will play a central role in the annual ESCA Congress which takes place in Belgium this November.

FIA confirms F1 2004 calendar

admin — Thu, 11 Sep 2003 14:09:38 +0100

Belgium is back and China and Bahrain join the fold - the FIA has finally confirmed next year's Formula One World Championship calendar.

Bernie comes clean

admin — Fri, 15 Aug 2003 07:48:05 +0100

Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone has finally confirmed what most assumed all along - that the Canadian Grand Prix has been ditched from the 2004 calendar.

Smoking kills Canadian GP - or does it?

admin — Fri, 8 Aug 2003 14:27:00 +0100

Bernie Ecclestone has denied he has ditched next year's Canadian Grand Prix - a move which seemed sure to fuel speculation Formula One would stage a second US race.

Spa set for F1 return

admin — Tue, 5 Aug 2003 09:43:55 +0100

Formula One racing is due to return to Belgium next season after the introduction of a law to enforce a complete ban on tobacco advertising was postponed until July 2005.

Spa set for F1 return

admin — Wed, 30 Jul 2003 08:03:14 +0100

The Spa race track in Belgium could find itself back on the Formula One calendar in 2004 after the government relaxed its stance on tobacco advertising.

FAPL alters TV rights packages

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2003 08:26:35 +0100

Under increasing pressure from the European Commission, the FA Premier League has altered the TV rights packages available to bidding broadcasters.

ESCA set date for congress

admin — Fri, 11 Jul 2003 07:19:51 +0100

The European Sponsorship Consultants Association (ESCA), has confirmed the date of its annual congress.

London wants 2006 Tour de France

admin — Wed, 4 Jun 2003 09:24:55 +0100

London is hoping to bring the start of the 2006 Tour de France cycling race to its streets.

Spa wants its F1 spot back

admin — Tue, 3 Jun 2003 07:19:38 +0100

The Belgian government is planning a last-ditch attempt to help its Spa motor racing arena regain its place on the Formula One circuit.

ESPN widens Indy appeal

admin — Mon, 19 May 2003 13:40:00 +0100

ESPN has signed a number of major new European TV deals for the Indy Racing League, just prior to its calendar highlight, the Indianapolis 500 this weekend.

Bernie hints at Austrian return

admin — Wed, 14 May 2003 07:53:10 +0100

Austria's hopes of getting back on to the Formula One calendar has been boosted after Bernie Ecclestone said he was keen for the race to be reinstated.

Legal expert confirmed for seminar

admin — Mon, 12 May 2003 08:23:41 +0100

A new legal expert has been confirmed for the iGaming and Gambling seminar to be staged in London next month.

UEFA signs new CL broadcast deals

admin — Fri, 25 Apr 2003 07:37:28 +0100

Soccer governing body UEFA and its marketing partner TEAM have announced a clutch of TV rights deals for the new Champions League contract.

G-14 sets up Brussels summit

admin — Thu, 24 Apr 2003 07:11:28 +0100

Influential soccer group G-14 is to meet in Brussels on April 29 to discuss the impact of too many international matches on Europe's top clubs.

Premier League's EU warning

admin — Mon, 14 Apr 2003 10:37:52 +0100

The English Premier League is believed to have informed the European Union that the proposed overhaul of the next TV rights contract could lead to the demise of English football.

France gets new CL rights deal

admin — Tue, 18 Feb 2003 11:29:31 +0000

UEFA and its agency partner TEAM Marketing have signed a TV rights deal in France for the next Champions League contract.

MotoGP signs TV deals

admin — Tue, 18 Feb 2003 10:23:11 +0000

MotoGP has secured new television deals with major terrestrial networks in both Belgium and the Republic of Ireland for the upcoming 2003 season.

Spa return to F1?

admin — Fri, 31 Jan 2003 15:01:43 +0000

Spa, the Belgium Grand Prix dropped from the Formula One calendar due to its government's ban on tobacco advertising, could be returning to the Grand Prix circuit next year.

Dentsu recruits AMS for IAAF

admin — Mon, 20 Jan 2003 10:04:37 +0000

A Swiss-based sports marketing company founded by former executives of ISL, has been appointed by Dentsu to manage the broadcast rights for the IAAF Golden League.

Spa loses last F1 hope

admin — Thu, 12 Dec 2002 09:28:32 +0000

The Spa motorsports track in Belgium will not return to the Formula One circuit after the country's government confirmed a ban on tobacco advertising.

CART's European revamp?

admin — Mon, 25 Nov 2002 10:33:11 +0000

Reports suggest that the CART motor racing franchise is close to finalising a deal to restructure the European races in its calendar.

Belgium, Israel sign new CL deals

admin — Fri, 22 Nov 2002 16:18:50 +0000

UEFA and its agency TEAM Marketing have announced two new broadcast rights deals for the next Champions League contract in Belgium and Israel.

Istanbul wins place on the grid

admin — Thu, 21 Nov 2002 08:28:43 +0000

Istanbul has been awarded a Formula One race in 2005 according to Turkey's motor sports federation.

Adidas alters European structure

admin — Tue, 19 Nov 2002 16:05:14 +0000

German sports brand adidas has brought together its UK and Benelux operations under one management team to form adidas Area North.

Stoll joins ESCA line-up

admin — Wed, 13 Nov 2002 16:16:32 +0000

A leading figure from the European Commission has been confirmed to address a major sponsorship conference in Belgium later this month.

G-14 agree salary cap

admin — Wed, 6 Nov 2002 15:03:43 +0000

The G-14 – the lobby group formed of Europe’s leading soccer clubs – has, as expected, agreed a salary cap in a bid to halt the spiralling drain of wage demands on club finances.

G14 to agree salary cap?

admin — Tue, 5 Nov 2002 11:19:23 +0000

European soccer power group, the G14, meet in Brussels today for crunch meetings over spiralling wage bills - with a wage cap likely to be a key discussion point.