French channel Canal Plus has been awarded the fifth and final Champions League package in France for the 2012–15 seasons.

The package acquired by Canal Plus consists of 13 first-pick live matches as well as the UEFA Champions League magazine programme. Each game will be broadcast live on Canal+, with the Saturday final and the weekly magazine show being screened on a free-to-air basis. The live matches will also be accessible on a platform-neutral basis (including via the internet and on mobile).

UEFA said: “UEFA is pleased to continue its relationship on the UEFA Champions League with Canal Plus, a long-standing broadcast partner for the competition. We highly value Canal Plus’s production expertise, editorial treatment and capacity to promote Europe’s flagship football competition.”

This announcement follows the recent award of the other four rights packages to al-Jazeera Sport, and concludes the sale of UEFA Champions League media rights in France for the 2012–15 cycle.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and FOX Sports Ohio have secured a multi-year extension of their broadcast partnership in which the network will remain the exclusive television home of the National Hockey League club.

FOX Sports Ohio has been the exclusive television partner of the Blue Jackets since the club’s inaugural 2000-01 season.

Blue Jackets Executive Vice President of Business Operations Larry Hoepfner, therapy said: “One of our organization’s major strategic goals over the past 24 months was enhancing and extending our partnership with FOX Sports Ohio and we are very excited to have accomplished this. FOX Sports Ohio has made a significant commitment to our club through this extension and we appreciate the support the FOX organization has shown, apoplectic and continues to show, in the Blue Jackets.”

FOX Sports Ohio is airing 79 Blue Jackets games in High Definition this season, marking the most extensive coverage and greatest number of HD telecasts of the club on the network in the history of the partnership.  Coverage of Blue Jackets hockey on FOX Sports Ohio also includes the Blue Jackets Live pre- and post-game shows, as well as Blue Jackets Slap Shots, which airs weekly on Mondays throughout the season and at various special times during the off-season.

“We’re pleased to extend our partnership with the Columbus Blue Jackets and remain the exclusive television home for all Blue Jackets programming,” stated Henry Ford, Senior Vice President and General Manager of FOX Sports Ohio. “Our commitment is simple – to support the Jackets in their efforts, promote them throughout our footprint and provide exciting and engaging programming to viewers and fans. The Blue Jackets have been a terrific partner over the past 11 years and we look forward to continuing our strong relationship for many years to come.”

FOX Sports Ohio, the area’s leading provider of local sports programming, is the television home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Cavaliers, Xavier Musketeers, Cincinnati Bearcats, Dayton Flyers, Big 12 and Pac-10 football, ACC and A-10 basketball, and Big East football and basketball.  FOX Sports Ohio reaches over five million households in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, western Pennsylvania, western New York, and West Virginia. www.foxsportsohio.com.

The BBC and ITV have become the official broadcasters of Euro 2012 in the United Kingdom, UEFA has announced today.

All 31 matches will be transmitted live across BBC and ITV. The broadcasters will further exploit all 31 matches via their respective internet and mobile platforms. 

A daily highlights programme will also be shown on each match day during the tournament and the BBC has the right to provide extensive coverage of the competition across its radio channels.

ITV will broadcast England’s opening group game against France on June 11 and final group game against the Ukraine on June 19 with the BBC hosting the Sweden fixture on June 15. But the BBC has first pick of the quarter-finals.

Niall Sloane, ITV controller of sport, commented: “Major events such as the Euro 2012 Championships have huge significance for our viewers and attract some of the biggest audiences on television.”

Philip Bernie, BBC head of TV sport, said: “We are very happy with the live matches on BBC1 as they give us a strong climax to the event, with both semi-finals, as well as England’s quarter-final if they progress.”

Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director of UEFA Events SA, added: “UEFA is delighted to continue its relationship with the BBC and ITV, our traditional broadcast partners for the UEFA European Championships. We look forward to working with the UK’s leading free-to-air broadcasters and are convinced that they will provide fans in the UK with an exceptional depth of coverage of the tournament across all media platforms.”

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and MNC Sports have announced a six-month television distribution deal that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly TV show WWERaw and WWE Specials such as WWE TLC, drugs  WrestleMania and Royal Rumble Ito Indonesia.

WWE RAW premiered on MNC Sports on Saturday December 10^th at 10pm, bringing one of the most watched sports entertainment programs across the globe into more than 900,000 households each week on the largest Pay TV operator in Indonesia.

The WWE Specials will also air on MNC Sports with the first, WWE TLC, airing at 11pm on January 1^st 2012.

Handhi S. Kentjono, Vice President of Directors for MNC SkyVision, said: “WWE is the biggest brand in sports entertainment and we are very pleased to be the broadcast partner responsible for bringing Rawand WWE Specials to Indonesia.”

Senior Vice President & Managing Director of WWE International, Dominic Hayes added: “WWE continues to build partnerships with the biggest and best broadcasters across the globe. This deal with MNC SkyVision will allow WWE to once again deliver quality programming to our ever increasing audience in Southeast Asia.”

The British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA), allergist has announced that it has signed a long-term multi-platform programming agreement with Canada’s Fight Network channel, discount which will air live broadcasts of BAMMA’s next 10 events.

The first event to be televised was BAMMA 8: Manuwa vs. Rea which took place at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham on Saturday 10^th December. 

Chad Midgley, search VP of Programming & Production at Fight Network, said: “Over the past year, Fight Network has proudly featured live events from BAMMA, one of the best mixed martial arts brands on a planet. I’m very excited to extend this partnership for another 10 events as we continue our commitment to bringing fight fans the best international live events. BAMMA has separated itself from the pack of emerging MMA promotions with a stacked pool of talent and excellent production value, making it a perfect fit for the network.”

BAMMA director David Green, added: “We are really excited to be extending our partnership with Fight Network. Canada is well known for its love of the sport and we believe that this is a fantastic opportunity for BAMMA to continue showcasing the best of British MMA to a passionate, wider audience. Teaming up with a well reputed combat sports channel is such a natural brand fit for BAMMA that we really couldn’t choose a better platform than Fight Network.”

TNA Impact Wrestling has clinched a two-year deal with British channel Challenge TV, keeping the UK’s highest-rated wrestling show on free television until the end of 2013.

Screened every Sunday night at 9pm on Challenge just three days after it airs in the United States, TNA’s monthly supercards and spin-off show TNA Xplosion will also remain with the channel.

Ahead of next month’s 2012 Maximum Impact IV UK Tour, the deal is an excellent indication that the TNA brand is continuing to grow.

Dixie Carter, company president, said: “Our first year on Challenge TV has seen us double our viewership in the UK and Ireland – and we are really looking forward to another two years of even greater success.

“Our wonderful fans have made us the most-watched wrestling programme in the UK and we’re pleased this new agreement also gives them the security of knowing they can always watch us on the same channel every week – Challenge TV.

“We cannot wait to celebrate with our fans in person in Nottingham, Manchester and London on the TNA MAXIMUM IMPACT Tour from January 26-28!”

Barbara Gibbon, Challenge’s Head of Channel, added: “We’re very pleased to have the opportunity to consolidate our relationship with the TNA team.

“Over the past year these programmes have become an important destination point in the Challenge schedule because they are much loved by its many fans.”

In an exclusive deal for the African continent, SuperSport will broadcast both the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and Euro 2012 next year.

SuperSport will broadcast all 32 AFCON matches live and in high definition, while the Euro will be broadcast exclusively live also in HD. The Afcon deal, especially, marks a highlight for SuperSport as it incorporates a number of continental football properties.

The AFCON arrangement will be for the next three editions (2012, 2013 and 2015). In addition, the rights include the African Nations Championship (2014), African Youth Championship (2013 and 2015), CAF Super Cup (2012-2016), CAF Champions League (remaining matches, plus 2012-2016), CAF Confederation Cup (remaining matches, plus 2012-2016) and the CAF Under-23 Championships.

SuperSport’s AFCON coverage will include a 24-hour channel dedicated to the event in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

ESPN Star Sports will broadcast matches between the world’s top cricketing nations over the next five years under a new broadcast deal inked with Cricket Australia on Thursday.

The deal covers broadcast rights of India tours to Australia in 2014-15 and 2015-16, allergist including tests and a tri series of one-day international matches between India, ed England and Australia, ailment which is being pitched as the “clash of the titans.”

It also includes the Ashes tour between arch-rivals Australia and England as well as Australian tours of top cricket nations including South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies  and New Zealand. International and premium domestic cricket including Twenty20 series between India, England  and Australia are also in. The deal counts in total broadcasts of more than 191 days of live international cricket action from Australia, as well as 280 days of Australia’s domestic competitions.

The exclusive deal covers television, Internet, mobile and radio rights across the entire Asian region but not Australia and New Zealand.

It also marks the first time that ESPN Star Sports gets rights to showcase two India series.

ESPN Star Sports managing director Manu Sawhney, said: “We are very pleased to announce this partnership with Cricket Australia with whom we share a very strong relationship. Australian Cricket has always been exciting and is played with utmost competitiveness in a super charged atmosphere which makes for every fan’s delight. It is therefore not surprising that it is called the ultimate test for any cricket player.”

James Sutherland, Cricket Australia CEO added.“We are delighted that a telecaster of ESPN Star Sports’ standing and class will be putting Australian cricket in front of so many cricket fans. ESPN Star Sports has been a wonderful and innovative partner for a long while and to be able to extend this critical partnership is great news for us all as well as for the cricket loving public.

“With so many premium international series including two India tours and Ashes along with a robust mix of increasingly popular domestic tournaments, fans in the Indian sub-continent can look forward to top quality action from down under on ESPN Star Sports. Now, with such an enviable line-up of cricket including Cricket Australia, England & Wales Cricket Board, International Cricket Council and Champions League Twenty20, we are pleased to further strengthen our position as the biggest cricket network and the No.1 sports content provider in Asia.”

ESS also plans to broadcast Cricket Australia’s domestic cricket over 280 days, India’s upcoming tour of Australia starts Dec. 26, All the matches of this series will be televised live on STAR Cricket and STAR Cricket HD and the tri-series will also be broadcast on ESPN.

Eurosport and the International Ski Federation (FIS) have reached an agreement for the upcoming Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski.

Eurosport will be the official partner of the Tour de Ski and will broadcast all stages of the tour LIVE, prostate reaching 127 million homes in 20 different languages across 59 countries.

The sixth edition of the Tour de Ski takes place from December 29 to January 8 and leads from Oberhof via Oberstdorf (GER) and Toblach (ITA) to Val di Fiemme (ITA). The eleven-day tour covers nine competitions in both techniques and in all cross-country disciplines across almost all distances.

In a season without World Championships or Olympic Games, ambulance the Tour de Ski is the highlight for the athletes besides the overall world cup. Exciting races, viagra cheap the spectacular 3,7 km climb to “Alpe Cermis” at the final stage in Val di Fiemme and over 600,000 Euro prize money make the FIS Tour de Ski a very special sport event both for athletes and viewers.

The tour starts on December 29 with the Prologue (Women 2,5km and Men 3,7km). Eurosport will feature live broadcasts of all races.

Eurosport will promote the event across its multimedia platform and is organising viewer competitions in Germany, Poland and Italy. Cross-country fans can win a weekend trip for two to the final of this years’ Tour de Ski in Val di Fiemme (ITA), including VIP access to the competition venue and a private behind-the-scenes tour with Jürg Capol, FIS Race Director Cross-Country. Furthermore, Eurosport offers ambitious amateur cross-country skiers the chance, to make a start on the “Rampa con i Campioni”, the race for everyone to experience the final climb.

Jürg Capol, FIS Race Director Cross-Country, said: “We are delighted that Eurosport is once again one of our partners for the Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski performance by Craft Sportswear. Our international partnership for mutual promotional activities, which involves Poland and Italy as well as Germany for the second time, clearly shows the high value the FIS Tour de Ski has reached.

“This unique event will not only be experienced by viewers on site but also by millions of viewers across Europe through Eurosport’s high-quality broadcasting. We can expect a great FIS Tour de Ski from the sporting side. The cross-country skiing stars such as Marit Bjoergen, Petter Northug, Charlotte Kalla, Dario Cologna, Therese Johaug, Lukas Bauer and Alexander Legkov are already in good shape and eager to go head to head over the nine stages.”

Werner Starz, Director Marketing and Communication at Eurosport Media GmbH in Munich, added: “Nordic skiing has always been very popular among Eurosport viewers and we will broadcast 180 hours from this year’s FIS Cross-country World Cup on Eurosport and Eurosport 2. We have once again expanded the coverage of cross-country skiing. The Tour de Ski has established itself as an important sport highlight along with the International Four hill tournament, and we are very happy to present this event to our viewers.”

The Toronto Raptors, National Basketball Association (NBA) and TVA Sports have announced that they have agreed to a multi-year deal that will bring NBA games to the newest French-language sports network in Quebec.

TVA Sports will broadcast a mix of regular season NBA games, including live play-by-play coverage and analysis of the Toronto Raptors by knowledgeable basketball experts Paul Rivard (an experienced journalist and sports commentator) and Pascal Jobin (a former professional basketball player and coach). The channel will also feature match-ups of legendary teams like the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls, as well as the NBA Playoffs and The Finals. Live French broadcast of these games will be exclusive to TVA Sports. This is the NBA’s latest step to expand the league’s footprint in Canada.

Pierre Dion, President and CEO of the TVA Group, commented: “This agreement marks a big TV comeback for French-language basketball coverage, after a 12-year absence. Francophone audiences from Quebec and across Canada deserve the opportunity to appreciate the thrilling spectacle of NBA basketball.”

Dan MacKenzie, Vice-President and General Manager of NBA Canada, said: “TVA Sports is a great destination for French-speaking sports fans in Canada and we are excited to bring NBA games to their new line-up. Quebec is an important market for the NBA in Canada, and this partnership will help build a strong presence for basketball in the province.”

Chris Hebb, Senior Vice President, Broadcast and Content, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, added: “We’re thrilled to work with the NBA and TVA Sports on this exciting new initiative that allows us to better connect with Raptors fans across the country. After the success of our preseason game in Montreal last year, we feel this is another step to better engage our French-speaking fans.”