Media
Former Disney execs Mayer and Staggs to advise on ESPN future
Former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs are returning to work with the US media giant on the future strategy of ESPN
Flutter, Fox shut down betting platform amid heightened competition
Flutter Entertainment and Fox Corporation have announced the closure of sports betting platform Fox Bet as competition in the burgeoning US sports gambling market intensifies
United bags HBL rights in Balkans
United Media has secured exclusive rights to Germany’s Handball Bundesliga for its Sportklub pay-television channels in the Balkans.
Whisper lands Caribbean Premier League production contract
UK-based sports production company Whisper has been named as the new production partner for the Caribbean Premier League ahead of the start of the 2023 season of the T20 cricket competition.
Sky granted new High Court order to block illegal streams
UK pay-television operator Sky has been granted a High Court order that will require internet service providers to block access to illegal streams of its linear channels
PPF deal takes sale of Viaplay equity to over 18 per cent
Czech investment company PPF Group has bought a 6.3-per-cent stake in Viaplay Group as the embattled streaming broadcaster continues to shift equity
Telia’s Kirkby to replace Jansen as BT Group chief executive
Allison Kirkby, the president and chief executive of Swedish telco Telia, has been named as the new chief executive of BT Group and will take up her new role by the end of January 2024 at the latest
Nascar sells Xfinity Series to CW in standalone deal from 2025
Nascar's decision to sell Xfinity Series rights on a standalone basis demonstrates a clear change in the stock car series' domestic media strategy from 2025, as it seeks greater exposure for the teams and drivers in its ecosystem.
Italian regulator approves 30-minute blocking of illegal streams
Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (AGCOM), the regulator and competition authority for the communications industry in Italy, has given the green light to block pirated websites within 30 minutes, …
Absence of Premier League contributes to TV2’s €4.6m loss
Norwegian broadcaster TV2 suffered a deficit of NOK51.7m (€4.6m/$5.1m) in 2022 as the English Premier League disappeared from its schedules following the loss of the rights to pay-TV broadcaster Viaplay.
Canal Plus Group’s international expansion fuels three-per-cent revenue increase
Vivendi-owned media group Canal Plus posted revenues of €2.96bn ($3.26bn) for the first half of 2023, a three-per-cent increase on the same period during 2022.
LFP follows LaLiga, Serie A with five-year rights bid plan
France’s Professional Football League (LFP) wants to give broadcasters the option of bidding for rights across five seasons when it issues its domestic tender on September 12.
US World Cup draw with Netherlands sets ratings records with 7.94 million viewers
The United States women's national team's 1-1 draw with the Netherlands at the Fifa Women's World Cup set a group stage viewership record on English language broadcaster Fox in the US, with 6.43 million viewers and a peak of 8.45 million, while Telemundo's Spanish language broadcast attracted a non-World Cup final record 1.51 million viewers, making for a total of 7.94 million.
Comcast: Move for ESPN minority stake ‘very improbable’
Comcast president Michael Cavanagh has said that it is "very improbable" that the company would look to secure a minority stake in ESPN, which is 80-per-cent owned by Disney
Comcast sees Q2 Ebitda fall as revenues remain steady
US telecommunications and media conglomerate Comcast has blamed higher programming costs at NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock, as well as increased international sports programming costs, as its media division’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) dipped by 18.2 per cent for the second quarter of 2023.
Serie A rights sales on ice as bids still fall short
Bids for domestic media rights to Serie A from 2024-25 have been improved but remain below the €1bn ($1.1bn) per season sought by the Italian league, chief executive Luigi De Siervo has revealed.
Tributes paid to World Rugby head of broadcast Chris Synnott
Tributes have been received from across the sports industry for Chris Synnott, World Rugby’s head of broadcast and media rights, following his recent passing at the age of 51.
ISL issues first broadcast rights tender
Football Sports Development Limited, the operator of the Indian Super League, has launched its first invitation to tender for media rights to the country's pre-eminent football competition