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LFP dealt further blow as beIN suspends rights payments
Pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports has informed the French Professional League (LFP) today (Wednesday) that it is suspending its payments for Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 rights until the competitions resume
Wimbledon officially cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic
The All England Lawn Tennis Club has announced the cancellation of this summer's Wimbledon championships due to the global Covid-19 pandemic
Uefa suspends Champions League indefinitely, postpones June play-offs
Uefa, football’s European governing body, has moved to put all competitions under its auspices on hold amid the ongoing shutdown caused by the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ex-Sportfive Germany sponsorship executive to lead Volleyball Bundesliga commercial operations
Germany’s Volleyball Bundesliga has appointed Gunter Hardt, previously a sponsorship and marketing executive at the Lagardère-owned Sportfive Germany agency, as its managing director, commercial and ma…
Right Formula’s Fenwick: Smart and paid digital campaigns offer cut through in Covid-19 crisis
Brands must be “smarter than ever” in landing their messages on digital platforms during the global Covid-19 crisis, according to a sports consultancy head.
MLB cancels planned return to London
Two-game series planned for June is latest event casualty of ongoing pandemic
Ukrainian FA and BetGenius warn of match-fixing in lower league friendlies
The Ukrainian FA and data and betting services company Genius Sports have issued statements warning that a series of “friendlies” featuring four lower-league Ukrainian clubs were subject to match-fixing.
FIGC president suggests betting revenue share to help ‘save’ Italian football
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has called on the government to introduce a fund to ‘save football’ in the country and has suggested that a share of betting revenue be donated to clubs and organisations in …
Former Marseille president Diouf dies after contracting Covid-19
French Ligue 1 football club Olympique de Marseille has announced that its former president Pape Diouf has died at the age of 68 after contracting the Covid-19 virus
Lower league football | Exeter City’s turbulent past equips it to cope with Covid-19 crisis
English lower league club Exeter City's personal commitment to commercial partners has put the club on solid ground during the Covid-19 crisis. Callum McCarthy speak to club chairman Julian Tagg about the club's journey thus far and the hard road ahead.
Paul Garbett | French Open the first ‘land grab’ as the sporting calendar is ripped up by coronavirus
Paul Garbett, associate director at CSM Sport & Entertainment, gives his view on the impact and opportunities of a dramatically changed post-coronavirus sporting calendar.
Barcelona shifts focus as Olympic legacy lives on
Barcelona’s blueprint for Olympic legacy is widely respected. But how is the city’s approach evolving nearly three decades after the transformational Games? Bradley Rial reports.
Health and duty of care considerations override rights commitments as sports seek Covid-19 legal advice
UK law firms acting for clients in the sports industry say they are dealing with an unprecedented demand for advice after the Covid-19 outbreak caused the widespread cancellation of sporting events.
Hurting French sports leagues eye broadcaster tax relief
French sports leagues and federations will be hoping that a proposed tax relief system will soften the financial blow on broadcasters suffering from the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic and incentivise…
Eintracht swaps one bank for another in stadium naming rights deal
German banking and financial services company Deutsche Bank has expanded its relationship with Eintracht Frankfurt by taking on the naming rights to the Bundesliga club’s stadium.
ECB details £61m support package
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has unveiled a £61m (€68.8m/$75.4m
AC Milan signs up ROinvesting to bolster sponsorship portfolio
Italian Serie A club AC Milan has added Cyprus-based trading platform ROinvesting as a new sponsor
3. Liga’s Unterhaching lose shirt sponsor as Covid-19 impact bites
German third-tier football club SpVgg Unterhaching will lose their main sponsor in June after foods supplier Frostkrone Tiefkühlkost exercised its option to terminate its contract at the end of June 2020.
ProSiebenSat.1 renews free-to-air WWE rights in Germany
Commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 has agreed a multi-year deal to renew its free-to-air rights in Germany to the wrestling entertainment series WWE
Eleven Sports adds NBA TV to Belgian offering
International sports broadcaster Eleven Sports has moved to counter the lack of NBA action on its Belgian schedules by agreeing a carriage deal for the North American basketball league’s OTT service, N…
Basketball Champions League to finish season with Final Eight
The Basketball Champions League is seeking a host for a one-off ‘Final Eight’ tournament after concluding that it won’t be able to finish its 2019-20 season as planned due to Covid-19.
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Lions won’t move tour dates after Olympics postponement, Sky ‘retains TV rights’
The British and Irish Lions rugby union team will not move the dates of their tour of South Africa next summer, despite its dates clashing with the rescheduled 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo
Eurovision Sport negotiates archive access with federations
Eurovision Sport, the sports arm of the European Broadcasting Union consortium of free-to-air broadcasters, has negotiated agreements with rights-holders to allow its member broadcasters to air archive…
Canal Plus cites ‘force majeure’ in French football rights fee dispute
French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus is citing force majeure as the basis for its refusal to pay an upcoming €110m ($120m) instalment on this season’s Ligue 1 and 2 fee obligation.
Study highlights slow uptake in French OTT sports sector
A study published today (Monday) by the French broadcast and internet piracy regulators has found a markedly low appetite among the public to subscribe to a sports streaming platform
DFL and Sky negotiating Bundesliga media-rights payments
The German Football League (DFL) is in ongoing discussions with its domestic broadcast rights-holders as it seeks to reach a consensus with pay-television broadcaster Sky over the final instalment of this…
ITV to broadcast ‘virtual’ Grand National and re-air Euro 96
UK free-to-air commercial broadcaster ITV will fill the hole in the gap left by the cancellation of the 2020 Grand National by offering live coverage of a virtual version of the iconic horse racing event
Valencia and Chelsea admit to fresh stadium challenges
Spanish LaLiga football club Valencia has seen the collapse of a deal crucial to the competition of its much-delayed Nuevo Mestalla, while English Premier League team Chelsea has delayed its long-running…
Canal Plus and LFP at loggerheads over refusal to pay rights fee instalment
A war of words has erupted between French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus and the French Professional League (LFP) over the former’s refusal to pay an upcoming €110m ($120m) instalment on this sea…
Swiss Federal Court rejects Al-Khelaifi corruption indictment
BeIN Media Group chairman and Paris Saint-Germain president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has been boosted in his legal battle with Swiss authorities with the news that the country’s Federal Criminal Court has a…
Norwegian Ski Federation loses Veidekke deal as financial losses bite deep
The Norwegian Ski Federation (NSF), already suffering financial losses as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, has lost one of its key sponsors – the country’s largest civil engineering company Veidekke.
EHF outlines plan for resumption of handball season
The European Handball Federation (EHF) has presented a competition plan to potentially resume playing at the beginning of June, with president Michael Wiederer having addressed the governing body’s plans t…
Hearn awaits clarification on closed-doors events in move for live TV content
Matchroom Sport’s Barry Hearn is continuing to look at ways to stage live sports events behind closed doors despite the UK being in a state of ‘lockdown’ due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
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Karajica to advise esports platform after ProSiebenSat.1 exit
Željko Karajica, a leading figure in the German sports media-rights industry, has taken up a position as consultant to #loggedinfestival, the new online esports platform.
Karajica recently left ProSiebenSat.
Tour de Suisse, Rouvy and Velon team up for virtual cycling series
The organisers behind the Tour de Suisse have become the latest rights-holders to turn to virtual alternatives to provide fans with sporting competition during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic
Nike postpones Euro 2020 national team kit launches as contracts scrutinised
Nike’s launch of Euro 2020 national team kits for England, France and three other European countries were postponed this week because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Diamond League postpones three more events due to Covid-19
World Athletics’ Diamond League has postponed three more meetings scheduled for May amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.