TV Rights

ESPN wins US Open Tennis rights - 13 May 08

US broadcaster ESPN, has acquired the rights for the US Open tennis tournament in a six-year, $140 million deal from 2009 to 2014, with the US Tennis Association.

IOC invites tender for 2014 and 2016 broadcast rights - 12 May 08

The International Olympic Committee has invited tenders for the broadcast and exhibition rights for all territories, within Europe, for the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

Pro Golf Tour of India signs exclusive partnership deal - 12 May 08

Sport 18, the sport’s marketing division of Indian media conglomerate Network 18, and US-based network, CNBC-TV18, have agreed an exclusive partnership deal with the Professional Golf Tour of India.

PCB looks to shorten TV rights deals - 12 May 08

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering shorter term contract periods for its television rights deals.

Canadian broadcasters to cover Euro 2008 - 9 May 08

Canadian cable television sports channels The Sports Network (TSN) and Rogers Sportsnet (Sportsnet) have agreed to jointly televise live all 31 matches from Euro 2008.

Pro TV secures UEFA Cup rights - 9 May 08

UEFA, European football’s governing body, has awarded the live and highlights rights for the 2009-2012 UEFA Cup in Romania to free-to-air broadcaster Pro TV – one of UEFA’s current media partners for the UEFA Cup.

Fox Sports and Nine secure ICC rights - 6 May 08

Australian broadcasters, Fox Sports and the Nine Network, agreed a four year deal with ESPN STAR Sports for TV rights for International Cricket Council cricket events from 2008 until 2011.

MP & Silva acquires FIVB Olympic Qualification Tournament rights - 2 May 08

MP & Silva acquired the exclusive media rights to the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Women’s and Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tokyo, Japan from Dentsu.

NBC agrees largest major network broadcast of equestrian sport - 2 May 08

US network, NBC, acquired the broadcast rights for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games from the World Games 2010 Foundation.

NASN and ESPN Classic launch on Turkish platform - 1 May 08

The North American Sports Network launched today on Turkish DTH platform, DSmart. ESPN Classic is set to follow on June 1.

Promising outlook for Indian pay-television market - 28 Apr 08

The Indian pay-television industry is projected to generate revenues of $11.2 billion by 2012, according to a report by Media Partners Asia.

Eurosport 2 to air on Premiere Star DTH - 25 Apr 08

German DTH platform Premiere Star will carry sports channel Eurosport 2 from May 29.

Bundesliga clubs approve TV deal for Cup games - 24 Apr 08

German public-service broadcasters ARD and ZDF, and pay-broadcaster Premiere, acquired the TV rights for the German domestic football cup in a three-year deal, worth €50 million per year.

GolTV acquires rights to Italian World Cup qualifiers - 22 Apr 08

GolTV, the all soccer network, has acquired the exclusive USand Canada broadcast rights to the 2010 World Cup qualifying matches of the Italian national team.

ESPN acquires Wimbledon rights until 2013 - 21 Apr 08

North American-based sports broadcaster ESPN has finalised a six-year deal with The All England Tennis and Croquet Club for international television and internet rights for the Wimbledon tennis championships.

TPSA to launch new Polish sports channel - 16 Apr 08

Polish telecommunications company, TPSA, is set to launch a new pay-television sports channel in August.

FOX Sports to show Australian test matches - 16 Apr 08

Australian sports network, FOX Sports, agreed a deal with Indian sports marketing agency, Nimbus Sport International, for the rights to show exclusive live coverage of Australia’s four Test matches during their tour of India in October 2008.

UEFA Cup deal for Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei - 15 Apr 08

UEFA awarded the media rights for the 2009-2012 UEFA Cup in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei to Astro – a leading Pay TV operator in the region and UEFA’s current media partner for the UEFA Cup.

Zee and Ten win Champions League rights - 11 Apr 08

Indian pay-television providers Ten Sports and Zee Sports acquired the exclusive media rights for the Champions League, from 2009-12 and the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Uefa Cup.

Spain competition watchdog queries football deals - 10 Apr 08

Spain's Competition Commission opened proceedings against broadcasters and Primera Liga football clubs over the sale of TV rights.

CJ Media wins Champions League rights for Korea - 10 Apr 08

CJ Media acquired the TV rights for the UEFA Champions League and Super Cups in Korea from 2009-2012.

Willow TV wins IPL rights - 9 Apr 08

Internet streaming broadcaster, Willow TV, has acquired the television, radio, broadband and Internet rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL) in North America.

Socceroos games to be added to anti-siphoning list - 8 Apr 08

The World Cup qualifying matches of the Australian national team, the Socceroos, will be shown on free-to-air television after the Australian government agreed to add them to the anti-siphoning list.

Setanta calls off sale - 7 Apr 08

Irish pay-television broadcaster, Setanta Sports, abandoned plans to sell itself after potential buyers balked at the £1 billion asking price.

French handball receives four bids - 7 Apr 08

The French handball league, Ligue Nationale de Handball, said it had received four bids for its TV rights from 2008 to 2011.

Joost extends deal for English Premier League clips - 2 Apr 08

Online TV platform, Joost extended its distribution deal with Nimbus Sport International for English Premier League internet clips.

NPB games to be shown in Korea - 2 Apr 08

Sports marketing company, Total Sports Asia, and Korean broadcaster, MBC ESS Sports, have acquired the exclusive media rights for a number of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball games.

News Corp set to increase stake in Premiere - 1 Apr 08

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is expected to increase its 19.9 per cent stake in German pay-television group Premiere.

Kentaro to market Austrian national football rights - 1 Apr 08

The Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) agreed a deal with the Kentaro Group for the international marketing of its TV rights.

ADD secures IPL TV rights - 31 Mar 08

Arab Digital Distribution acquired the exclusive TV rights for the DFL Indian Premier League in the Middle East and North Africa in a ten-year deal.

Telstra acquire share of Olympic rights - 27 Mar 08

Australian telecommunications provider, Telstra, agreed a $9 million deal with the Seven Media Group to show exclusive live coverage of the Beijing Olympics on its BigPond mobile service.

BBC agrees new Wimbledon contract - 27 Mar 08

The BBC secured the rights to broadcast Wimbledon until 2014 in a new five-year deal which incorporates TV, radio, broadband and, for the first time, BBC iPlayer.

BBC expected to bid for test cricket rights - 27 Mar 08

The BBC is planning to bid for at least some rights for live English test match cricket when the auction opens for the next four-year contract, likely to be next month.

Nimbus launches cricket web portal - 26 Mar 08

Indian media and entertainment company, Nimbus Communications, is set to launch a new cricket web portal to offer streaming of live matches.

Singtel grabs Champions League TV rights for Singapore - 25 Mar 08

Singtel acquired the exclusive Champions League TV rights from 2009-2012 in Singapore.

GolTV wins rights to German World Cup qualifiers - 25 Mar 08

US-based soccer network, GolTV, has won the exclusive US and Canada broadcast rights to all of the German national team 2010 World Cup qualifying matches starting in September.

ITV retains UEFA Champions League rights - 25 Mar 08

UK commercial broadcaster ITV has seen off a challenge from the BBC to retain the broadcasting rights to UEFA Champions League matches.

BBC Secures Formula One rights - 20 Mar 08

Public-service broadcaster, the BBC, has acquired the UK rights for Formula One in a five-year deal, from 2009-2013.

UEFA expected to finalise UK Champions League rights - 19 Mar 08

UEFA awarded a major package of UEFA Champions League media rights for 2009-2012 in the UK to pay-broadcaster BSkyB and is expected to award the remaining rights tomorrow after it invited a second round of bidding.

Australian government opens anti-siphoning talks - 19 Mar 08

Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said discussions have begun about which sports should be made available to subscription broadcasters.

RCS starts talks for Giro's international TV rights - 17 Mar 08

RCS Sport started negotiations with broadcasters for the international TV rights for its cycling events, including the Giro d’Italia, for the period from 2009 – 2012.

Scramble for UK Champions League rights underway - 13 Mar 08

The first round of bidding for the TV rights for Champions League football got underway yesterday with competition expected to be fierce between the BBC, ITV, Five and pay TV operators Setanta and BSkyB.

Eurosport renews ULEB Cup rights - 13 Mar 08

The Eurosport Group and the Euroleague Basketball, the organisers of the ULEB Cup, extended Eurosport’s existing TV rights agreement through the 2010-2011 season.

Perform and Bigpond launch global Australian sports portal - 12 Mar 08

Perform and Telstra’s BigPond, Australia’s largest internet provider, agreed a deal to launch a global sports portal, Aussie Sport TV, broadcasting top Australian sports.

FANZ-TV to show arenafootball2 league - 12 Mar 08

Newly launched US sports TV network, FANZ-TV, agreed a one-year rights deal with the arenafootball2 league for the 2008 season.

Bundesliga TV deal could be under threat - 11 Mar 08

The €3 billion agreement between the German Football League (DFL) and Leo Kirch's KF 15 group to market the TV rights for Bundesliga matches could come under pressure after a move by cartel authorities.

ESPN Star sports renews rights for golf’s Masters - 7 Mar 08

ESPN Star Sports acquired the TV rights across Asia for the Masters for next three years, from 2008 to 2010.

SPORTELAsia 2008 succeeds in Shanghai - 6 Mar 08

A total of 594 participants, representing 304 companies from 46 countries worldwide, attended this week’s SPORTELAsia 2008 at the Pudong Shangri-La Hotel in Shanghai, China.

Eurosport and Channel 4 to show British Superbikes - 6 Mar 08

Pan-European broadcaster Eurosport and commercial broadcaster Channel 4 secured the TV rights for the Bennetts British Superbike Championship in the UK.

Europsort to broadcast Le Mans series - 5 Mar 08

Eurosport Group has signed a deal to screen the 'Le Mans 24 Hours' races in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

BBC set on Champions League rights - 4 Mar 08

The BBC is reportedly ready to pay around £400 million to secure the broadcast rights for Champions League games from 2009-10.

Le Mans 24 hours back on Eurosport - 4 Mar 08

The Eurosport Group signed a three-year deal with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) to broadcast the "Le Mans 24 Hours" races in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

RTL renews German F1 TV deal - 4 Mar 08

German commercial broadcaster RTL agreed a new four-year deal with Formula One Management for the TV rights for Formula One in Germany, from 2008-20011.

Supersport agrees TV rights deal with the Kenya Premier League - 3 Mar 08

Supersport International agreed a four-year $13.5 million deal TV rights deal with the Kenya Premier League.

RCS to offer Giro d’Italia international TV rights to the market - 29 Feb 08

RCS Sport, organiser and rights holder of the Giro d’Italia is considering selling the international TV rights for the tour direct to the market and separately from the domestic rights package.

Perform nets Asian Football digital deal - 29 Feb 08

Perform will launch a digital channel to stream live AFC club and national team football, including FIFA World Cup 2010 Asian qualifiers and AFC Champions League matches.

Ten Sports retains rights for West Indies Cricket - 29 Feb 08

Dubai-based broadcaster, Ten Sports, retained the global media rights for West Indies cricket, excluding the UK, in a four-year, from 2008 and 2012, deal with the West Indies Cricket Board.

Sky Italia secures 2010 and 2012 Olympic rights - 26 Feb 08

Sky Italia acquired the TV rights for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and the 2012 London Olympic Games in a deal with the International Olympic Committee.

Expectations for UK Champions League TV bids grow - 26 Feb 08

Public service broadcaster, the BBC, is set to join the bidding for the UK Champions League TV rights.

Setanta Sports wins IPL rights - 26 Feb 08

Setanta Sports acquired the UK TV rights for the Indian Premier League's Twenty20 cricket competition in a five year deal with the IPL.

ESPN STAR renews Australian Open deal - 26 Feb 08

ESPN STAR Sports has inked a new seven-year contract for the Australian Open tennis up to 2014 covering cable & satellite, IPTV, DTH and terrestrial rights.

Ligue 1 invites international TV bids - 22 Feb 08

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) invited marketing agencies to bid for the international rights for Ligue 1 over the next four seasons, from 2008-09 to 2011-12.

Foxtel looks to expand online presence - 21 Feb 08

Australian pay-television broadcaster Foxtel will use its exclusive internet rights for the 2010 Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games and the 2012 Beijing Olympics to substantially expand its online presence.

FFA and MP & Silva agree strategic partnership - 21 Feb 08

Football Federation Australia (FFA) appointed the MP & Silva agency, to market and distribute its media rights internationally.

Sony to be taken to court over IPL demands - 20 Feb 08

Four minority domestic investors in Sony Entertainment India, have taken the company to court over demands on them for capital to finance SET's commitments to the upcoming Indian Premier League tournament.

GAA awards TV rights to RTE, TV3, Setanta and TG4 - 20 Feb 08

The Gaelic Athletic Association agreed multi-million euro TV and radio rights deals with RTE and TV3 that carve up coverage of the GAA championship over the next three-years.

Al Jazeera Sports secures Champions League rights - 20 Feb 08

Al Jazeera Sports Channel secured exclusive TV rights for the UEFA Champions League in a four-year deal from 2009 to 2012.

TV3 poised to win 2011 Rugby World Cup Rights - 19 Feb 08

New Zealand commercial broadcaster TV3 is set to secure the TV rights to the 2011 Rugby World Cup according to local press reports.

Strong Scandinavian Platform for Sport Marketing - 19 Feb 08

IEC in Sports and PR Event merged to create the largest Scandinavian sports marketing company.

BT considering bid for Setanta - 18 Feb 08

According to UK press reports, BT is considering making an offer for Setanta, the Irish pay-television company that owns rights to show some live Premier League football.

Calls for Australia's NRL to expand - 18 Feb 08

National Rugby League team Melbourne Storm’s chief executive Brian Waldron called on the NRL to put expansion on its immediate agenda.

Dogan TV buys Champions League rights in Turkey - 15 Feb 08

UEFA has awarded the UEFA Champions League media rights for 2009/12 in Turkey to Dogan TV Holdings.

Copa Libertadores TV revenues rise - 14 Feb 08

Traffic Sports, holders of the TV rights for the Copa Libertadores outside the Americas, said revenues from the sale of the competition's rights are up 350 per cent in the last four years.

University of Oregon signs media deal - 13 Feb 08

The University of Oregon extended an agreement for its for multi-media marketing rights with Oregon Sports Network and IMG College in a ten-year, $67.14 million deal.

New South African TV deal hits NZ and Australia rugby unions - 12 Feb 08

New Zealand and Australia expressed disappointment at the South African Rugby Union’s decision to sell of some of its TV rights previously included in the Sanzar (South African/New Zealand/Australia) agreement.

Takeover rumours surround Setanta Sports - 11 Feb 08

Setanta Sports is bracing itself for a succession of takeover bids after an undisclosed European rival reportedly made an unsolicited bid of over €1 billion for the Irish pay-television broadcaster.

Australia's network Ten wins IPL Rights - 11 Feb 08

Australian commercial broadcaster Ten Network acquired the live television rights for all the Twenty20 cricket matches in a five-year deal with the Indian Premier League. Ten is believed to have paid between $10 million and $15 million for the rights.

RTE set to secure remaining GAA rights - 11 Feb 08

Irish public-service broadcaster RTE is expected to secure the TV rights for the four remaining Gaelic Athletic Association packages after fending off competition from commercial rivals TV3 and Setanta.

UEFA agrees UEFA EURO 2008™ TV deal Singapore - 8 Feb 08

UEFA agreed a deal with StarHub, the largest Pay-TV operator in Singapore, for exclusive broadcast rights to UEFA EURO 2008™.

Two new Serie A TV deals in Germany - 8 Feb 08

The MP & Silva agency agreed deals for Serie A in the German market with broadcaster ZDF and with online portal www.maxdome.de.

Neo Sports Plus wins major tennis rights - 8 Feb 08

Indian sports channel Neo Sports Plus acquired the TV rights for three major tennis tournaments: The Davis Cup, The Federation Cup and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

Canal Plus and Orange win French Ligue 1 rights - 7 Feb 08

The Ligue de Football Professionnel agreed deals worth a total €668 million a year over four years with French pay-broadcaster Canal Plus and mobile operator Orange for its audiovisual rights.

Canal 13 and Globosat secure Euro 2008 rights - 7 Feb 08

Uefa awarded Chilean broadcaster Canal 13 and Brazilian broadcaster Globosat the rights for Euro 2008.

New trial date set for Seven Network case - 7 Feb 08

Australia's Seven Network will appeal the ruling in the $200 million C7 practice suit in a three-week hearing in November.

MP & Silva wins rights for 2010 Asian World Cup Qualifiers - 6 Feb 08

The MP & Silva agency has acquired the exclusive rights to a package of FIFA 2010 World Cup Asian region qualifying matches, including games involving Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup winners, Iraq, China, Australia, and Qatar.

NASCAR expands media operations - 5 Feb 08

The NASCAR Images and NASCAR Digital Entertainment are to merge to form the NASCAR Media Group (NMG) in a move that will consolidate the rights and interests of both groups into a single entity to develop, produce and distribute a range of programming and content for NASCAR.

Setanta renews with USA Rugby - 5 Feb 08

Setanta Sports and USA Rugby, the governing body for rugby union in the United States, have renewed their official partnership until 2009.

Bidding extended for French Football rights - 4 Feb 08

France's football league (LFP) extended the bidding process for the TV rights for Ligue 1 matches from 2008 to 2012.

SABC loses out in Premier Soccer League TV rights battle - 29 Jan 08

South African public-service broadcaster SABC’s final attempt to hold on to the Premier Soccer League’s television rights failed.

MP & Silva and ONE O ONE secure TV rights deals for Speedcar - 29 Jan 08

MP & Silva and ONE O ONE secured key broadcast deals to launch the inaugural Speedcar Series in over 50 countries in Middle East and Asia.

RTÉ wins Six Nations rights - 25 Jan 08

Irish public service broadcaster RTÉ has acquired the exclusive live rights to all RBS Six Nations Championships games on television, radio and online in a four-year deal from 2010 to 2013. 

Orange is serious bidder for French Ligue 1 rights - 24 Jan 08

According to French media reports, mobile operator Orange has bid for all 12 packages of TV rights available in the Ligue 1 tender, including live rights.

Nine bidders for French league TV rights - 23 Jan 08

Nine bidders entered expressions of interest for French football’s Ligue 1 rights for the four-year period from 2008-09 to –2011-12.

Tour de France renews TV deal with France Télévisions - 23 Jan 08

The organisers of the Tour de France agreed a new five-year TV rights deal with French public-service broadcaster France Télévisions, reported to be worth around €120 million.

Neo Sports wins US PGA TV rights - 23 Jan 08

Indian sports channel Neo Sports Plus acquired the TV rights for the US PGA Tour in a two-year deal covering 2008 and 2009 with the Professional Golf Association.

ESPN Deportes wins 2010 South American World Cup Qualifiers - 23 Jan 08

Spanish language broadcaster ESPN Deportes acquired the US TV rights for the 2010 South American World Cup Qualifying tournament from SCP Worldwide.

Bulgarian businessman to set up sports channel - 21 Jan 08

Bulgarian businessman, Grisha Ganchev, has acquired a 50 per cent stake in the Plovdiv-based cable television channel Evrokom and aims to transform it into a sports-based channel.

KPN bids for Dutch Football Rights - 18 Jan 08

Dutch telecommunications group KPN said it has bid for the TV rights for the Dutch football league.

Ten and Foxtel win 2010 Commonwealth Games rights - 16 Jan 08

Australian Commercial broadcaster Ten and Pay-TV group Foxtel acquired the Australian TV rights for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

Eurosport acquires Euro 2008 TV rights - 16 Jan 08

Pan-European broadcaster Eurosport signed an agreement with UEFA for delayed-as-live broadcast rights for all 31 matches of UEFA EURO 2008™.