Germany

ZDF has wrestled the German free-to-air rights for the UEFA Champions League from rival Sat.1 in a new deal that will run through the 2012-15 cycle.

The introduction of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules will help to safeguard the sport against losing its core fan base, according to Bundesliga CEO Christian Seifert.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced on Thursday that the governing body had received letters of intent from five countries to stage the 2017 World Championships.

Franz Koch will be promoted from his role as head of global strategy at Puma to replace Jochen Zeitz as the new chief executive officer of the German sportswear firm next month.

The Mayor of Munich has pledged to launch a petition to counter the opponents of the city’s Winter Games bid, who are attempting to force their own referendum to derail efforts to bring the 2018 Olympics to Germany.

Munich 2018 has signed up Metro Group as its latest corporate partner and presented the second instalment of the bid’s ‘Living Bid Book’ video documentary series ahead of the start of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission visit.

The German Bundesliga has been rewarded for its clubs’ performances in Europe by snatching a UEFA Champions League place off Italy’s Serie A in 2012-13, according to the German Football League (DFL).

German pay-TV operator Sky Deutschland has announced plans to launch a rolling 24-hour sports news channel in Germany and Austria within a year.

Officials trying to bring the 2018 Winter Olympics to Munich are confident that attempts to force a referendum that could scupper the German city’s bid for the Games will fail.

German online price comparison website Guenstiger.de has extended its contract as a main sponsor of Sauerland Event, Europe’s biggest boxing promoter.

German sports broadcaster Sport1 has acquired a package of rights from MP & Silva to cover Italy’s Serie A domestic football competition.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has thrown his support behind the Williams team’s plans to float on the stock market.

German state broadcasters ARD and ZDF have announced they will stop carrying live coverage of the Tour de France in 2012 due to concerns over doping in the sport.

Financial services giant Allianz has been unveiled as a commercial partner of the Mercedes GP team for the 2011 Formula One season.

PyeongChang and Munich’s bids for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have received new corporate backing from their home countries ahead of July’s announcement of the event’s host city.

Yingli Green Energy, the company that became the first ‘green’ sponsor of the FIFA World Cup last year, has expanded its influence in football by signing up as an official premium partner of Bayern Munich.