Hong Kong-based Legend Fighting Championship have announced an exclusive distribution and syndication agreement with ESPN International coinciding with Singapore’s One Fighting Championship formally announcing that it has entered into a 10-year deal with ESPN Star Sports, ed Asia’s largest sports broadcaster. 

Legend’s agreement with ESPN International will see the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” distribute the 2-year-old organization’s content exclusively throughout Asia, Oceania, the Indian sub-continent, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Legend programming, such as the upcoming Legend 7 on Feb. 11, currently airs in 10 countries throughout the Asia-Pacific, as well as in North America via same-day tape delay pay-per-view. The promotion has also hit American cable airwaves with “Legend FC: Reloaded,” a highlights program which debuted last August on Fuel TV. 

“Legend’s combination of a roster filled with elite fighters from the Asia-Pacific region with high-quality production values makes us excited to work with them to continue to develop their audience around the world,” ESPN International VP of Programming Mike Walter stated in a release. 

Meanwhile, One FC’s long-term deal with ESPN Star, an equal joint venture between ESPN and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. is being touted by the fight organization as “the largest MMA media deal in Asian history.” One FC CEO Victor Cui previously served as a senior director for the channel, which aired shows from his first promotion, Martial Combat, in 2010 and broadcast One FC’s inaugural event in September. Specifics of the deal were not mentioned in a release issued Monday. 

“ESPN Star Sports has always been at the forefront in offering innovative and engaging programming to sports fans across the region,” stated Adam Zecha, ESPN Star Sports executive vice president and head of sales. “We have successfully showcased a diverse range of combat sports events to fans, and with this long-term partnership with One Fighting Championship, mixed martial arts sports fans can now look forward to more exciting action on our networks.” 

One FC’s second event, “Battle of Heroes,” takes place Feb. 11 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The England and Wales Cricket Board today have announced today that they have extended their broadcasting agreement with Sky Sports from 2014-17.

Sky Sports has won the rights to show live domestic and international cricket in England and Wales as part of a package which includes all England’s home Test, One-Day International and T20 series, selected England Lions and England Women’s fixtures plus 60 days of domestic cricket every season.

Following last week’s announcement of a new six-year deal with BBC Radio, ECB’s broadcasting agreements for the next contractual cycle will deliver an overall increase in revenues compared with the previous four year period.

ECB’s agreement with Sky Sports also includes an option to extend for a further two years which would encompass tours by India in 2018 and Australia in 2019.

The awarding of TV rights followed an open tender process in which all broadcasters were invited to bid for a variety of packages which included the rights to individual Test matches, series or competitions, and a mixture of live and highlights programming.

ECB Chairman Giles Clarke said: “Sky Sports has raised the bar for all live television broadcasters with its innovative, informed and comprehensive coverage of cricket and we are very pleased to renew this agreement for a further four years.

“No-one should be in any doubt that our partnership with Sky has been of immense benefit to the wider game. World-class support structures for our successful England teams, major ground improvements at county level, a flourishing coach education programme and a five per cent increase in participation at our ‘Focus’ clubs are all by-products of this relationship.”

ECB Chief Executive David Collier said: “Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of broadcasting and sponsorship agreements concluded by our commercial team which will bring additional revenues into our game and be welcomed by all our key stakeholders.

“The sheer breadth and quality of Sky’s coverage which encompasses the main domestic competitions as well as key recreational events like the Barbados Cockspur T20 Cup Final demonstrates their passion for the sport and we look forward to working with them over the next four years.

“On behalf of ECB, I would like to thank both our Commercial committee and our Commercial Department for their efforts which will be hugely appreciated by everyone within the game.”

Barney Francis, Managing Director of Sky Sports, said: “This is good news for cricket and good news for viewers. Our viewers will enjoy a breadth of live coverage, at domestic and international level, and the ECB extends a partnership that has proved good for the game.”

He continued: “Cricket is flourishing in England and Wales with increased participation, record attendances and success for England’s men and women. Through extending our partnership, the ECB can invest on and off the pitch and the game can continue to grow.”

The ECB also announced today that it had renewed its broadcasting agreement with Channel 5 for highlights coverage of international cricket from 2014-17.

The broadcaster will continue to screen its highlights programme in early evening peak viewing time as part of a new four-year deal with ECB.

ECB Chief Executive David Collier said: “ECB strongly values its relationship with Channel 5 and we welcome their on-going commitment to cricket.  Their evening highlights programme provides an excellent snapshot of the day’s play in each Test Match and we are delighted that it will continue in an early evening slot which suits viewing patterns for families and younger viewers.”

Jeff Ford, Director of Programming, Channel 5 commented: “Channel 5 has been associated with English cricket for over six years, providing new and established fans with the very best in cricket highlights from Test matches and more. We’re delighted to continue our association with the ECB for another four years and to firmly cement our position as the terrestrial home of English Cricket.”

Row 44, Inc., provider of the world’s leading In-Flight Broadband Entertainment Platform, is partnering with the NFL Network to deliver live and on-demand NFL Network programming, including Thursday Night Football NFL games, in-flight to passengers’ Wi-Fi enabled devices.

NFL Network is the destination for all that happens around the sport of American football. NFL Network airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and provides viewers with nearly 2,000 hours a year of original programming, including: NFL Total Access, NFL GameDay, Top 10, Playbook, NFL Replay, NFL Classic Games plus the Emmy award-winning Sound FX and America’s Game series.

NFL Network is also the home of Thursday Night Football NFL regular season games, every NFL preseason game, AFL games, the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine game, plus more coverage of the NFL Draft, Hall of Fame ceremony, NFL Scouting Combine and Super Bowl than any other network.

Passengers will also have access to NFL RedZone, the channel that every Sunday afternoon covers the most exciting moments of every game around the league. NFL RedZone, produced by NFL Network, whips around every NFL game on Sunday afternoons, delivering the touchdowns and most exciting moments as they happen. When a team goes inside the 20-yard line, fans see the crucial plays live. The channel keeps fans up-to-date in real time, switching from game to game with live look-ins, highlights and a chance to see every important play.

The new Row 44 service will also give passengers in-flight access to NFL Network’s video-on-demand library. This extensive library of exclusive NFL Network shows and NFL Films produced programming includes classic games, Super Bowls, documentaries and more.

Commercial airlines that select Row 44’s In-Flight Broadband Entertainment Platform will be able to offer their customers the service streamed to their own Wi-Fi enabled devices.

Row 44 Chief Commercial Officer Howard Lefkowitz, said: “NFL Network is a football fan’s fantasy, generously opening up the network’s suite of great football programming to air travelers – from exciting live games, to highlights, analysis, classic games and the world-renowned library of NFL Films.

“We are thrilled that NFL Network and NFL RedZone will further differentiate Row 44’s In-Flight Broadband Entertainment Platform as the world’s most extensive broadband experience for passengers today.”

European sports television network Eurosport has renewed its long term partnerships with the French and the US Opens.

The French Open deal secures coverage on Eurosport for three more years through to 2014. The US Open agreement sees the Flushing Meadows event on Eurosport through to 2017.

The renewed deals for both events cover live pan-European rights across all platforms. The two events will be covered on Eurosport and Eurosport 2 and will also available on PC and on mobile devices via Eurosport Player.

Subscribers to Eurosport Player will also have access to the live multi-court service.

Eurosport deputy managing director Geraldine Filiol said: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with these two premium tennis properties with whom we have built strong relationships over the years. These deals ensure that Eurosport remains a major partner of the tennis world in Europe.

“Tennis Grand Slams are indeed a perfect fit for our group’s multi-screen strategy: not only does Eurosport deliver these events anywhere and on any device but we also ensure that all this terrific content is made available to fans via the Eurosport Player multi-court service.”

In 2012, Eurosport will be offering tennis fans over 1200 hours of live coverage, adding the WTA season and selected ATP events to its three Grand Slams.

International sports media company MP & Silva has secured the global broadcast rights for the inaugural season of India’s franchise-based Premier League Soccer (PLS) tournament.

The new league will be broadcast in ‘at least’ 50 countries during its opening season, Bhaswar Goswami, executive director of the Kolkata-based Celebrity Management Group (CMG) which is organising the PLS, told Indiantelevision.com.

Financial details of the TV rights deal have not been disclosed, however, it will reportedly operate on a minimum guarantee and revenue sharing basis.

CMG is also said to be in talks with three broadcasters for the South Asia broadcast rights to the new football league.

Household names such as Italy’s World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavro; ex-Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler; former France and Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires; Argentian striker Hernan Crespo; and Nigerian ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha are all set to play in the PLS.

The US and Europe, which are home to large Indian expatriate populations, are reportedly key target markets for the venture.

The Indian Football Association, which governs football in the state of West Bengal, has agreed for CMG to run PLS for 30 years.

The group expects the total sale of commercial rights to amount to between $5 million and $6 million, according to Goswami. This includes both the broadcast rights and sponsorship deals.

The English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have revealed today it has agreed a new six-year deal with BBC Sport for the radio rights to broadcast ball-by-ball commentary on international cricket from 2014 to 2019.

The agreement, which will encompass two home Ashes series in 2015 and 2019 – and tours by India in 2014 and South Africa in 2017, provides BBC radio with live and exclusive coverage of all England’s home Test, one-day international and Twenty20 series.

The BBC had previously agreed a four-year deal with the ECB to broadcast live ball-by-ball coverage of international cricket, which is due to expire at the end of the 2013 season.

David Collier, ECB chief executive, said: “This is excellent news for all cricket-lovers. Test Match Special brings cricket into millions of homes in this country each summer and is widely recognised for its unique and world-class coverage of cricket.

“The next six years are set to be exciting ones for the sport and Test Match Special’s coverage, together with the regular summaries and updates provided by BBC Radio 5 live, will play a significant role in promoting cricket from the playground to the Test arena.”

Barbara Slater, director BBC Sport, said: “We’re delighted to be taking cricket on the radio forward for a further six years. Test Match Special, now in its 55th year, is one of the most treasured programmes on the BBC with its unique mix of expert commentary, insight, humour and entertainment.

“In a new digital era the programme and its accompanying download have never been more popular with its audience.”

Discuss ECB’s latest commercial venture here

Mobile telecommunications giant MTC has spared the Namibian Broadcasting Corporations’s (NBC) blushes by securing the TV broadcasting rights for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) which started last weekend in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

MTC and the national broadcaster signed an according sponsorship agreement costing N$550, health 000 ($70, price pills 405) to allow the Namibians to watch the event which has already started.

The mobile provider’s Tim Ekandjo said: “Brave Warriors have already been robbed of participation in the Nations Cup because they did not qualify, and as Namibians we don’t deserve to miss the continent’s biggest soccer showpiece. That is why MTC decided to step in.”

Criticizing the broadcast rights holders for setting unrealistic and exorbitant prices which struggling public broadcasters cannot afford, Ekandjo stated; “Over and above the meager US$ 2 million prize money for the tournament, the AFCON is about national and continental pride as Africans, we therefore must enjoy this event without unnecessary restrictions of cost and other issues.” 

MTC further urged the grantors of broadcast rights to look at the interest of the people on the continent first before they think of cashing in by selling rights at astronomic rates.

The sponsorship came at the right time when many Namibians, who are already disgruntled over the national broadcaster’s poor service delivery, were questioning the payment of TV licenses to NBC. The most vocal critics came from the country’s sports enthusiasts, more so after the NBC appeared to have failed to acquire broadcasting rights to air African Cup of Nations (AFCON) matches. Since the advent of the New Year, television set owners could be seen queuing to pay their TV licenses before the NBC’s latest deadline. The penalty for non-payment is a fine.

According to the NBC, the latest wave of license payments has flushed an enormous amount of money into the state broadcaster’s coffers. In addition to that, the NBC gets annually bailed out by the government with millions, while the notoriously financially stricken broadcaster used to regularly be in the headlines over financial scandals. 

While critics wonder where the cash disappeared while viewers are left with what many regard as below average programming, for MTC it is all about sports. Not any sport. It is football – arguably the most popular sport on the continent, and in Namibia.

“Sponsors were reluctant to come on board due to the Brave Warriors’ absence from the tournament, sponsors therefore felt there was no audience to justify any injection of capital in to acquiring broadcasting rights,” the NBC’s Director General Albertus Aochamub told Informanté.

This year remains one of the busiest on the international sporting calendar regarding the staging of major sporting events; including the European football championships and the 27th edition of the London Summer Olympics in July and August.

“The NBC is currently in negotiations with the rights holders and potential sponsors to partner with investors whose role will be to cover the costs of the rights while receiving unlimited  advertising space,” said Aochamub about the forth coming Olympic Games.

Al-Jazeera has landed another domestic Ligue 1 media rights package.

The French Football League (LFP) has announced that the Qatar-based broadcaster had secured rights for an additional six live Ligue 1 games per round on pay-per-view, cheap together with a weekly football magazine-style programme.

Al-Jazeera had already secured the rights to two games per round, viagra 60mg with Canal Plus showing the remainder of the package. The new agreement will see the French pay-television channel retain the rights to two matches per week.

The deal is said to be worth a minimum 240 million euros ($315 million) for four seasons from 2012-13.

The deal is the latest in a series of major investments in French media rights and suggests that Al-Jazeera will continue to be the major player in French football broadcasting.

In December, vialis 40mg it acquired four of the country’s five media rights packages for the UEFA Champions League from 2012-15, and it has also gained the international rights to Ligue 1 action.

Nasser al-Khelaifi, president of Al Jazeera Sport, also serves as chairman of Ligue 1 giant Paris Saint-Germain.

It has been reported that Al-Jazeera is planning to provide a platform for its rights by developing or acquiring its own channel in France, and has spoken to Orange about such a project.

Nasser al-Khelaifi, president of Al Jazeera Sport, is also Chairman of Ligue 1 favourites Paris Saint-Germain.

ARD, cheap  Germany’s public broadcaster have announced an exclusive media rights agreement for comprehensive national broadcast coverage of Germany’s FC Bayern München and the Netherlands National Team friendly game.

The match scheduled for 22 May 2012 is taking place only three days after the UEFA Champions League Final, impotent with both events being held at the Allianz Arena in Munich, vialis 40mg Germany. The deal was broquered by Infront Sports & Media, an international sports marketing company.

The media rights agreement covers the all important domestic territory for the match, which promises to be one of the year’s main football highlights in Germany. First broadcast agreements have also been signed for the international market, including Portugal and Brazil.

The ARD has acquired the rights to offer live as well as delayed and highlights coverage across all its media platforms, including its regional public broadcaster channels. The full match will be aired live on the main ARD channel.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, CEO of FC Bayern München, said: “We look very much forward to this rare and exciting football match. Only two and a half weeks ahead of the UEFA EURO 2012™, this will be a major highlight for all fans: With many national players in the squad, FC Bayern München will put the vice World Champion and one of the European Championship favourites to the test. FC Bayern München
against the Netherlands will be a football spectacular.”

Volker Herres, Head of ARD Programming, added: “German football fans can look forward to this period of highlights with the national and international club competitions culminating in May before all eyes are directed towards the Ukraine and Poland in June. The unique head-to-head of FC Bayern and the Netherlands is the best event one can think of as a transition between the club and the national team phase and the ARD Group looks forward to delivering this unforgettable
sports experience to the fans.”   

Günter Netzer, Executive Director at Infront, said: “The fact that public broadcaster ARD secured the media rights for the German home market demonstrates the sporting value of this unique football event. The high level of attention that a game involving the Dutch national team generates was clearly demonstrated in the end of 2011 when the Germany versus Netherlands friendly reached almost 13 million TV
viewers.”