Media

On the eve of the 2012 ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour Finals in London, ATP boss Brad Drewett tells Kevin Roberts about the challenges of realising the value of the players he represents…

World tennis No.1 Novak Djokovic completed a busy commercial year by agreeing a deal that will allow IMG Worldwide to become his new global management and representation agency.

The World Rally Championship (WRC) is set to enter its 2013 season on a solid footing after the announcement that Host Broadcast Services (HBS) will serve as its TV production partner for the coming campaign.

The IMG Media agency has signed a five-year extension to sell and promote the global media rights to Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL), with the deal set to mirror the League’s recent emphasis on digital media.

Discovery Communications is poised to acquire a 20% stake in Eurosport through a deal that opens the door to the American media and entertainment giant securing full control of the international sports broadcaster.

The National Rugby League (NRL) has agreed an extension to its partnership with telecommunications firm Telstra in a wide-ranging deal comprising naming rights to the Premiership and the establishment of a digital media arm.

The ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) has announced an expanded partnership with ESPN Star Sports (ESS) that will bolster the league’s commercial standing and offer it enhanced coverage for its 2013 season.

The Wasserman Media Group agency has bolstered its position in the North American market by acquiring Catalyst Sponsorship Consulting, one of Canada’s leading sports and entertainment consulting agencies.

The NBC Sports division of US media group NBCUniversal has struck a content and promotional deal with internet company Yahoo Sports that will allow the two companies to share their expertise in broadcast and digital media.

Havas Sports & Entertainment (HS&E) has become the latest major agency to make a move into the Brazilian market by announcing a strategic partnership with independent experiential marketing agency, Benza Promotions & Events.

The English Premier League will continue to be afforded live coverage across selected airlines and cruise ship operators after it signed a new three-year deal with the IMG Media agency.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has renewed its agreement to distribute the European media rights to prestigious cycling event the Tour of Flanders for a further four-year period.

Leading football rights agencies Kentaro and the Figer Group have joined forces to announce plans for a joint venture which aims to exploit opportunities within the Brazilian football market and beyond.

US sports broadcaster ESPN has snapped up exclusive rights for the new college American football play-off system that will replace the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).

News Corporation has furthered its recent heavy investment in sports networks by agreeing a deal to acquire a 49% equity stake in US regional cable-television channel Yes Network.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has announced a major new deal with YouTube which will see the platform live stream more than 350 Development League games during the 2012-13 regular season.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) has hailed a “huge vote of confidence” from its broadcast partners after it doubled the value of its domestic rights deal.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has partnered with YouTube to live-stream all of England’s autumn internationals in markets outside the UK that currently do not broadcast the games, in a deal the organisation claims is a first for international rugby.