The Davis Cup will now be shown on UK television after British Eurosport secured a two-year deal with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to broadcast exclusive coverage of the World Group ties.

British Eurosport will also broadcast the women’s equivalent tournament, cialis the Fed Cup and Hyundai Hopman Cup in 2012 and 2013.

The deal will see British Eurosport broadcast live coverage from each of the AEGON GB Davis Cup Team’s 2012 Europe/Africa Zone Group I fixtures, try including the first round tie against Slovak Republic at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena on 10-12 February.

The deal follows British Eurosport’s live coverage of Great Britain’s 2011 ties against Luxembourg and Turkey and adds to the channel’s portfolio of tennis rights which includes extensive coverage of the WTA Tour and selected ATP events, the British grass court tournaments in the lead up to Wimbledon and Grand Slam tournaments.

David Kerr, Managing Director, Eurosport UK said: “We’re thrilled to be able to bring Eurosport viewers the unique drama of the Davis Cup. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal provided some magical moments in recent finals and there’s sure to be more great drama and emotion in this year’s matches.

“Following our broadcast of Great Britain’s successful campaign last year, we’re delighted to once again bring coverage of GB’s Davis Cup ties in what is an important year for the team as they seek qualification into the top tier, the elite World Group.

“Added to our exclusive coverage of the World Group ties, Fed Cup Final and Hopman Cup secured for the next two years, UK tennis fans will be able to enjoy a stronger than ever tennis offer on British Eurosport.”

Jan Menneken, ITF Executive Director, Commercial added: “The ITF looks forward to working with British Eurosport to televise World Group and British Davis Cup by BNP Paribas matches, the Fed Cup Final and the Hopman Cup.

“This arrangement provides great exposure for the ITF’s major team competitions and gives British fans the chance to watch both the British team’s 2012 Davis Cup campaign and matches from the elite World Group for the next two years on British Eurosport.”

Lawrence Robertson, LTA Head of Commercial commented: “This announcement is further indication of Eurosport’s commitment to tennis in the UK, adding to their coverage of the LTA’s series of grass court events in the summer.

“We’re delighted to be able to partner with Eurosport to offer British tennis fans the opportunity to watch the AEGON GB Davis Cup Team throughout the course of what we hope will be a very successful season for Leon Smith’s team.”

The USA TODAY Sports Media Group have announced today that it has completed its takeover of Fantasy Sports Ventures (FSV) and Big Lead Sports, the largest independent digital sports property in North America.

USA TODAY’s parent company, Gannett Co. Inc., was already a significant minority shareholder of FSV and elected to complete the purchase through an acquisition of FSV’s assets. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

When all FSV assets are ultimately combined with the other properties within the USA TODAY Sports Media Group, the digital property is expected to become one of the top five sports sites on the web based on the most recent comScore metrics. The digital assets that currently make up the USA TODAY Sports Media Group include USATODAY.com/sports; digital outlets associated with 81 local Gannett newspapers and 23 Gannett-owned broadcast television stations; HighSchoolSports.net; and the BNQT Media Group, which includes MMAjunkie.com.

Tom Beusse, president of USA TODAY Sports Media Group, said: “This deal represents a major step forward for us, giving us dramatically more scale and a great ability to provide engaging, relevant content across the entire spectrum of sports fans. The Big Lead sites fit very nicely into our existing portfolio, and now give us an unmatched sports platform to go along with our existing national and local strengths. These new content distribution outlets will enable us to better serve sports enthusiasts while providing advertisers and marketers with a one-stop solution for all of their sports marketing needs.”

With nearly 19 million unique visitors in the latest comScore report, the FSV and Big Lead Sports property provide distinct and independent coverage of every major sport, including football, baseball, basketball, auto racing, hockey, soccer, college sports, high school sports and fantasy sports. The sites include the TheBigLead.com, a leading source of breaking news and commentary across all sports, as well as well-respected sports sites that include BaseballHQ.com, KFFL.com, TheHuddle.com, Baseball-Reference.com, HoopsWorld.com, HoopsHype.com, and many others.

“We are very proud that we built Big Lead Sports into the No. 1 independent online sports property,” said Chris Russo, founder and chief executive officer of Big Lead Sports. “Joining the USA TODAY family will enable Big Lead Sports to grow further and provide a new and bigger platform for our talented writers, contributors and advertising partners.”

Dave Morgan, the USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s senior vice president of content and editor-in-chief, added: “The Big Lead sites have done a great job developing unique, independent voices and distinct points of view. This acquisition extends our reach and deepens our engagement with core sports audiences, and is a strong complement to our position as a leading national sports property.”

The acquisition also provides USA TODAY Sports Media Group with a strong initial footprint in fantasy sports. Last year more than 32 million consumers in the U.S. actively participated in fantasy sports. Among the assets in the FSV/Big Lead Sports property are more than 25 fantasy games and products, with more than 500,000 active and paying subscribers.

To rack up interest in their sports channel, herbal ESPN UK will broadcast a Premier League match on freeview for the first time next week in the game between Manchester City and Fulham.

The top flight fixture will be screened by ESPN on February 4 as part of a marketing campaign to increase the awareness of its channels.

The game could potentially break the record for largest domestic television audience for a Premier League encounter with freeview estimated to be in 10m homes.

ESPN is broadcasting free from Friday to Monday on the first weekend in February and the taster will also feature live games from Serie A and the Bundesliga.

“This is a great opportunity for us to introduce that to millions more and let them sample the programming ESPN has on offer,” ESPN chief Jeroen Oerlemans said.

Since 1992, when Sky Sports first won a contract to show live action from the Premier League, fans have needed to pay subscriptions to watch top-flight football.

NBC Sports Group and the Breeders’ Cup have announced a multi-year deal for the network to televise the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships beginning with the 2012 event at Santa Anita Park.

This year, NBC Sports Network will televise the Breeders’ Cup races on Nov. 2 and then Nov. 3 before NBC picks up coverage for the $5 million Classic from 8-9 p.m. EST.

The 15-race Breeders’ Cup returns to NBC after several years on ABC/ESPN. NBC aired the event from 1984-2005.

Financial terms of the deal announced Monday were not disclosed.

NBC also televises the Triple Crown races — the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

The National Lacrosse League’s (NLL) Minnesota Swarm has announced a new broadcast partnership with KFGI SAM 101.5 FM to air live radio coverage of the Swarm’s eight home games in 2012.

The deal marks the first radio broadcast partnership in team history. The Swarm enters their eighth season of play in the NLL this year.

SAM 101.5 serves the Brainerd Lakes area and can be heard in 18 counties in Central Minnesota. In addition, pills fans can listen to all eight broadcasts for free on the Internet by visiting Network1Sports.com. A link to the streaming broadcast will also be posted on SAM 101.5’s Facebook page prior to gamedays. Tom Martin and Dan Krogh will comprise the broadcast team.

Andy Arlotta, Co-Owner and Vice President for the Minnesota Swarm, said: “This is a very exciting day for the Minnesota Swarm and our fan base. This partnership with SAM 101.5 gives us more visibility and puts us out in areas that we haven’t necessarily been before. We were thrilled when SAM 101.5 approached us in regards to broadcasting Swarm games this season and it goes to show that we have an exciting, entertaining product that people want to share in their communities. We’re looking forward to creating new fans and getting people out to our games to show them what Swarm lacrosse is all about.”

As part of the radio agreement, SAM 101.5 will also feature a Swarm guest every Monday morning at 9 a.m. to talk Swarm lacrosse and preview upcoming games.

Dan Krogh, Sports/News Director for SAM 101.5 Radio, said: “We here at KFGI SAM 101.5 are very excited to have the opportunity to bring the listeners and fans of Minnesota Swarm lacrosse coverage of the upcoming 2012 season. We believe this partnership will benefit both sides. The whole staff here has been very excited about lacrosse ever since we attended our first Swarm game last season, and we are looking forward to being able to bring the excitement of the home season to the listeners in the Brainerd Lakes area on SAM 101.5!”

The Public Television and Radio Company of Azerbaijan, known as ITV, has secured the free-to-air television rights for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and Rio 2016 Summer Olympics by international sports rights marketing agency Sportfive. 

International sports marketing agency Sportfive in charge of media rights for Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 decided to award the rights to ITV in Azerbaijan after concluding the broadcaster will ensure substantial live coverage of the two events, as well as providing additional programming around them.

“This agreement with Sportfive will enable us to cover both Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016,” said Ismail Omarov, the general director of ITV. “We will use ITV’s experience to ensure that the broadcasting is delivered successfully and that the programming is appreciated by our sports fans.”

ITV intends to focus primarily on Rio 2016 but have stated that they are fully focused on ensuring ample transmission of Sochi 2014.

“We are delighted to sign this deal in Azerbaijan and are confident that ITV will provide live coverage and excellent programming during Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016,” added Sportfive chief executive Shaila-Ann Rao.

Sportfive were appointed by the IOC as their official media rights agent for Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 in 40 European markets after offering a guarantee of some £225 million ($348 million) to the organisation.

However, the agreement does not include the key European markets of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the UK, all of who negotiated broadcast deals directly with the IOC.

The IOC has already raised well over £400 million ($618 million) from these markets alone for the 2014 and 2016 Games even though the rights in the UK have yet to be agreed.

The deal for ITV is also put them in pole position to secure the rights in Azerbaijan for the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Games and 2020 Summer Games

The 2020 Games could prove far more interesting to the broadcaster as the Azerbaijani capital city Baku are currently bidding to host the event.

Learfield Sports Cowboy Sports Properties, the exclusive multimedia rights holder for Okhlahoma State University Athletics, has inked an extension with Stillwater Broadcasting LLC keeping the Cowboys on Hot AC KSPI-F (HOT 93.7) and Country KGFY (Cowboy Country)/Stillwater as the school’s flagship for the next five years.

KSPI will carry football, men’s basketball and baseball games and wrestling coverage, while KGFY will air women’s basketball, softball and soccer, plus a coach’s show and daily show on Olympic sports.

“We’re pleased to have this agreement in place and look forward to providing our listeners with exciting OSU athletics for the next five years,” said Stillwater Broadcasting President Robert Mahaffey.  “OSU already has had an accomplished athletic season across all sports, and what an incredible BCS win for the football team at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl!”

Cowboy Sports Properties’ Kip Racy, added: “These two stations have done an excellent job providing quality programming and game coverage, and we’re certainly pleased to extend our relationship with them moving forward. We continually look at ways we can enhance the radio broadcast experience for fans and strongly believe we have a solid, long-term partner in Stillwater Broadcasting.”

Irish Sports broadcaster Setanta has signed a three-year deal with Basketball Ireland to broadcast coverage of the National Cup finals.

The three-year deal will see the sports broadcaster provide live coverage of the National Cup finals and a regular magazine programme, while there is the possibility the channel could also show the National League finals.

This year’s Men’s SuperLeague National Cup finals will see UL Eagles take on UCC Demons on Friday, February 3, while UL are also represented in the Women’s SuperLeague National Cup finals where they will face holders DCU Mercy.

“Setanta are delighted to broadcast the finals. Basketball is an incredibly popular sport in Ireland with huge participation levels among men and women so it would have been a shame if the finals were not televised,” Colin Morgan, Setanta CEO, commented.

As Ireland’s only dedicated sports broadcaster we have the resources to accommodate important Irish sport in our schedules.  We expect this to be just the beginning of a long relationship with Basketball Ireland and we look forward to working together.”

Basketball Ireland Secretary General Bernard O’Byrne has worked hard to secure television rights for the competition and he is delighted at the prospect of working with Setanta.

“This is a tremendous day for the sport. I applaud Setanta Sports’ vision in recognising that basketball is one of our national games and is played by tens of thousands of people in every community across the 32 counties of Ireland,” O’Byrne said.

“I urge all the Basketball community to support Setanta Sports in their efforts as we look forward to a fantastic night of basketball on Friday, February 3rd at the National Basketball Arena.

“I would like to pay credit to Setanta Sports for ensuring that our National Cup Finals will receive the live coverage the competition so richly deserves. I would also like to acknowledge the excellent support of the Irish Sports Council, for their role in making this happen.”

The commissioner for Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), Tonya Antonucci, has announced she is stepping down from the position at the end of the month.

The announcement came less than a day after the league concluded a troubled regular season.

Antonucci said: “For the league overall, it’s a time of transition from early stage growth now that several of the key building blocks are in place.

“For me personally, it’s been a great honour to launch and lead the league through its first two seasons, and the timing is right to move on to new challenges and opportunities ahead.”

WPS general counsel Anne-Marie Eileraas will succeed Antonucci as chief executive officer.

Digital video solutions innovator Ooyala and Tennis Australia, apoplectic the governing body of tennis within Australia, nurse have partnered to bring the Australian Open to the web.

The deal has already begun with visitors able to watch on australianopen.com, the official website of the 2012 Australian Open, from January 16. They can watch live matches from all seven of the tournament’s courts, as well as special features, highlights and interviews from one of the year’s most popular events in tennis.

Tennis Australia selected Ooyala as its official online media partner for its ability to quickly integrate its personalized digital video solutions with australianopen.com to create a premier live sports video experience that will attract millions of visitors from around the world over the course of the tournament. This is the first time the Australian Open will be delivered online for free.

In addition to helping Tennis Australia monetize its online video offering with a variety of Ooyala-powered video advertising tools, Ooyala’s digital video technology will dramatically increase viewership of the Australian Open through its seamless multi-device delivery to tablets, smartphones and other devices, and through syndication of videos to YouTube and other news and sports websites. Ooyala also handles important geographic content restrictions to comply with Tennis Australia’s broadcast partner requirements.

“This is an important first for tennis and the world of sports, delivering the excitement and action of the Australian Open to people around the world who otherwise may never experience the tournament,” said Steve Wood chief executive officer of Tennis Australia. “Ooyala’s combination of technology and services are the perfect solution to the myriad of challenges involved in sophisticated delivery of a live video project of this scale. We are thrilled to be working with their team to take the Australian Open to the web for free for the first time.”

Jay Fulcher, chief executive officer of Ooyala, added: “The Australian Open is not to be missed, and we’re happy to deliver the most powerful, personalized viewing experience for people tuning in online and on mobile devices. Starting the year with such a landmark live sporting event for a world-class partner like Tennis Australia really sets the tone for what people should expect in digital video entertainment this year.”

The partnership with Tennis Australia builds on Ooyala’s strong momentum as a leading digital video solutions provider for premier consumer and media brands and broadcasters. In recent months, Ooyala’s ability to combine the most personalized digital video delivery with the most powerful behavioral analytics and monetization tools has won the company partnerships with some of the world’s most innovative brands, such as ESPN and Victoria’s Secret, that are successfully using digital video to drive business results.