Mediapro seeks rights fee rebate on €172m demanded by LFP
October 22 – Spanish media rights agency Mediapro is seeking a negotiated solution with the LFP after the French league issued a €172 million demand for unpaid rights fees.
Broadcast
Premier League accelerates into PPV but fan backlash at £14.95 price tag
October 12 – The English Premier League faces a backlash from fans after agreeing a deal with domestic broadcasters Sky and BT Sport for games not already being shown live to be offered via pay-per-view.
Tencent steps in as Premier League’s broadcast replacement in China
September 18 – The English Premier League has agreed a new broadcast deal in China to cover the rest of the 2020-21 season after terminating its £564 million contract with PPTV earlier this month.
Premier League u-turn opens up September matches to live TV
September 9 – All 28 English Premier League fixtures that take place in September will be televised live following pressure from the government and fans groups to maintain last season’s arrangement of wall-to-wall games when the campaign resumed behind closed doors.
EFL and Sky agree streaming deal to let fans in for non-TV games
August 27 – The English Football League (EFL) has agreed a streaming deal for non-TV matches with its anchor UK broadcaster Sky Sports to give fans access to games while stadium attendance is restricted during the Covid-19 crisis.
Premier League rethinks UK broadcast as free-tv ruled unlikely for new season
August 21 – Free-to-air broadcast matches will not take place routinely when the new English Premier League season begins, giving rise to concerns over how fans – especially season ticket holders – can watch games.
NWSL numbers shatter records and put women’s league on the TV map
July 29 – Viewing figures from the US show record numbers for the women’s club game and a significant breakthrough for the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League).
Sending a signal. CTV switches channels on Premier League as China-UK row heats up
By Andrew Warshaw
July 23 – The burgeoning political and diplomatic feud between Britain and China has spilled over into top-flight football with English Premier League games reported to have been pulled from Chinese state television (CTV).
Globo’s power under threat as CBF match schedule sees TV rights split
July 23 – The Brazilian FA (CBF) has published a tentative match calendar for the Brazilian top flight with a TV schedule that will intensify the on-going domestic TV rights battle.
Ashley’s £300m Saudi deal in balance as Qatar’s beIN Sports is ‘terminated’
By Paul Nicholson
July 15 – Saudi Arabia’s decision to “permanently terminate” beIN Sports license to broadcast in the country has been called a “sham” by the Qatari broadcaster, but also throws focus back on to the Premier League who are still to rule on whether Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund can buy Newcastle United.
Telefónica goes direct with new Spanish TV deal for UEFA club comps
July 6 – Spanish telecommunications giant Telefónica has signed an exclusive broadcast rights deal for UEFA’s flagship club competitions for the 2021-24 cycle covering the Spanish territory.
LaLiga wins piracy battle as Danish court rules ISPs must block illegal streams
July 6 – The war on global piracy has seen a new battle win for LaLiga who, working with the Danish Rights Alliance, have won a court ruling that pirate service Rojadirecta is illegal and must be blocked by Danish ISPs.
Flamengo’s Youtube broadcast challenges law but pushes Globo to cancel Carioca contract
By Samindra Kunti
July 3 – In an unprecedented move, Brazilian broadcasting behemoth TV Globo has rescinded its contract with Rio de Janeiro’s state football federation after Flamengo streamed their match against Boa Vista on Youtube under a temporary federal rule introduced by Jair Bolsonaro.
Serie A forfeits millions as beIN forces rebate that will shake up TV rights market
By Paul Nicholson
June 29 – Serie A returned to beIN Sport TV schedules at the weekend following the last-minute conclusion of a deal between the broadcaster and the league over a reduction in the rights fees to be paid.
BeIN Sports follows through on Italian warnings, blacking out Serie A on its networks
June 23 – BeIN Sports went dark on the broadcast of the return of Serie A from the coronavirus shutdown this weekend as tensions mount over the league’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and the kingdom’s support of pirate channel beoutQ.