Eastern Europe
O2 set to retain Czech league as rights fees more than double
Domestic broadcast rights to the top two Czech football leagues have fetched CZK430m (€17.6m/$19.1m) per season during an invitation to tender with telco O2 picking up the lion’s share of the inventory.Fol
Swedish government lends support to bid for first Winter Olympics
The Swedish government has given its backing to a 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games bid that will be led by the country, with potential assistance from Latvia and Norway, but has stressed the importance of a Games concept that will be free from public funding.
IOC steps up centralisation play as Olympic Qualifier Series hosts named
Moves to centralise the Olympics qualification process have been advanced with the dual hosting appointment of Budapest and Shanghai, as the International Olympic Committee continues its push to better…
TVP breakthrough in Ekstraklasa talks as it lands extensive PZPN deal to 2027
The Polish Ekstraklasa is set to return to free-to-air linear television after the forthcoming international break, after the league’s domestic broadcaster Canal Plus finally reached agreement with public-service b…
F1 rights switch hands in Czech Republic, Slovakia
Formula 1 action will return to the schedules of Nova Sport in the Czech Republic and Slovakia next season after the pay-television broadcaster finalised an exclusive deal
Poland to explore bid for 2036 Olympics
Polish President Andrzej Duda has announced that the country will pursue a bid to host the 2036 edition of the summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Polish public asked to recommend listed events changes
Poland’s broadcast regular has invited the general public to canvass their opinions on proposed changes to the country’s listed events legislation.
Canal Plus makes pre-emptive strike with Premier League renewal in midst of Ligue 1 tender
Pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus has hailed the importance of the English Premier League to its audience, after retaining exclusive rights in France just as domestic rights to Ligue 1 are on the market
RTVS attacks Slovak Extraliga rights award after missing out on sublicence
Slovakian public broadcaster RTVS has criticised the award of rights to the country’s top-tier ice hockey league to TV Joj after failing to reach terms on a sublicensing deal with the commercial network.
No Polish free-to-air Champions League coverage on TVP
Polish public-service broadcaster TVP has failed in a bid to negotiate a Uefa Champions League sublicensing deal ahead of the start of the group stage this evening (Tuesday)
Albanian FA secures three-year TV deal following Oversport termination
Domestic club football in Albania has a new home after general interest channel MCN TV agreed a three-year contract following on from the termination of a deal with streaming platform Oversport
Czech league goes to market with domestic media rights
The Ligové Fotbalové Asociace, the Czech league football association, has launched its domestic media rights tender for the next five-year cycle, covering the elite Fortuna Liga and second-tier Fortuna N…
Serie A broadcast deals secured in Albania in time for 2023-24 kick-off
Fans in Albania were able to watch action from the opening weekend of the Italian Serie A season after deals were negotiated with pay-TV broadcasters Digitalb and Tring
Outspoken sports chief Szkolnikowski departs TVP after seven years
Marek Szkolnikowski is to leave his role as Head of Sports at Polish public-service broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP) after more than seven years in the position
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.
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
Vingegaard and Pogacar’s rivalry brings record viewership to Tour de France
One of the most intense head-to-head battles in recent years in road cycling had the knock-on effect of producing stellar television ratings for this year’s Tour de France in the three key contributing m…
Albanian FA launches domestic club rights tender after ripping up Oversport deal
The Albanian Football Association (FSHF) has launched an invitation to tender for domestic media rights to club competitions for the 2023-24 to 2025-26 seasons after being forced to go back into the market