Media
Pakistan’s state broadcaster launches sports network
Pakistan Television (PTV) has announced it will launch a dedicated sports channel this month in a bid to encourage the development of sport in the country.
WTA signs “landmark” Perform media deal
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has struck what it has called a “landmark” four-year deal to allow leading digital specialist company Perform to manage and exploit the WTA’s Premier-tier tournament media rights from 2013-16.
BBC chief Thompson defends reduced F1 coverage
BBC director general Mark Thompson believes the arrangement to share coverage of Formula One next season with pay-television service Sky in the UK represents “very good value” to the public-service broadcaster’s licence payers.
FCC rules in favour of Tennis Channel in Comcast dispute
Tennis Channel has won a key Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling against Comcast that will effectively force the US cable provider to carry the channel on a more widely available tier of service.
DFB expands Infront media rights partnership
The German Football Association (DFB) has expanded its relationship with Infront Sports & Media to encompass the organisation’s international media rights sales.
UEFA awards media rights in Cyprus and Portugal
UEFA has announced the award of Champions League and Europa League media rights for the 2012-15 cycle in Cyprus and Portugal respectively.
NFL and NBC unveil plans to stream Super Bowl
The National Football League (NFL) and US broadcast network partner NBC announced on Tuesday that this season’s Super Bowl on February 5 will be streamed live online and to mobile phones for the first time.
Virgin Media to offer BBC sports content
UK cable service Virgin Media has struck a deal with the BBC to offer viewers live action from the London 2012 Olympic Games as part of a deal to provide “enhanced” services from the public-service broadcaster.
ESPN signs off major new US college sports deal
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) on Thursday announced a US$500 million extension of its multimedia rights agreement with cable sports broadcasting giant ESPN through to 2023-24.
Bwin races away with MotoGP extension
Bwin has extended its sponsorship agreement with MotoGP for a further two seasons.
NFL wraps up record deals with CBS, Fox and NBC
The National Football League (NFL) on Wednesday unveiled nine-year extensions of its Sunday broadcast television packages with CBS, Fox and NBC that will generate a total of more than US$3 billion per year for the League.
BCCI terminates Nimbus deal
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday cancelled its lucrative broadcast rights agreement with Nimbus after claiming the company had defaulted on payments.
BBC and ITV split Euro 2012 rights
UK public-service broadcaster the BBC and commercial broadcaster ITV have jointly acquired the rights for the UEFA Euro 2012 football tournament.
ESPN Star Sports renews Cricket Australia rights deal
Asian pay-television broadcaster ESPN Star Sports has sealed a new five-year rights deal for coverage of Cricket Australia’s domestic and home international matches across various platforms.
Eurosport pens FIS Tour de Ski deal
Eurosport has strengthened its winter sports programming portfolio by agreeing a broadcast deal for the International Ski Federation’s (FIS) Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski.
2011 In Sport
Doug Perlman explains why the NBC/Comcast merger will have the biggest impact on the future of the sports business.
Modern Times Group extends IIHF Worlds deal
Modern Times Group (MTG) has prolonged its exclusive live rights agreement covering the Baltic region for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship.
Al Jazeera snaps up Champions League rights in France
Qatar-based satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera has significantly strengthened its presence in France by snapping up four of the country’s five media rights packages for the UEFA Champions League from 2012-15.