TV Sports Markets Newslines
A round-up of the major headlines and TV rights news from TV Sports Markets and the world of televised sport. TV Sport Markets is the highly acclaimed industry reference tool for the main players in the broadcast and sport industry worldwide.
- The Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL), the German football league, will tender the domestic rights to the Bundesliga for the 2013-14 season onwards next year, leaving plenty of time for regulatory scrutiny of any deals.
- Romanian telecoms operator Romtelecom has taken over the bankrupt Boom Sports pay-television operation as the basis for its new sports service Dolce Sport, which launches on September 14. The service will be a direct challenger to Digi Sport, owned by rival telecoms operator RCS-RDS.
- Half-year revenues at French pay-television group Canal Plus were €2.327 billion ($2.955 billion), up 3.1 per cent on the same period last year. Over the year to June, Canal Plus France’s subscription base (which also includes French overseas territories and Africa) enjoyed a net growth of 356,000.
- Nigerian pay-television broadcaster HiTV has offered to buy half the rights for the English Premier League in Nigeria from its rival DStv, owner of the Supersport premium sport channels. DStv acquired the rights two weeks ago after HiTV, the winner of the initial auction, failed to produce bank guarantees covering the fee in time.
- Public-service broadcasters in Germany and Spain enjoyed big increases in their average audience for the Tour de France this year.
- Polish public-service broadcaster TVP will show live coverage of today’s Poland-Cameroon international friendly after agreeing a one-off match fee with rights-holders Sportfive.