Bundesliga turns creators into a 22-match rights layer - The Bundesliga is expanding creator-led live football in Britain and Ireland into a 22-match package, turning an experimental distribution format into a meaningful layer of its rights strategy. By Chris Brown
Sky NZ locks Premier League until 2034 before renewal risk arrives - Sky New Zealand has secured exclusive Premier League rights until 2034 with two seasons still remaining on its existing agreement, removing one of its biggest premium-content renewal risks unusually early. By Chris Brown
Sky–ITV deal opens new equation for football rights - Sky’s proposed £1.6bn acquisition of ITV’s broadcasting business could give Britain’s biggest pay-TV sports buyer control of a major free-to-air platform, creating potentially significant consequences for football rights packaging, reach and negotiating leverage. By Chris Brown
NWSL turns to Roku to make Sunday nights a free viewing habit - The NWSL is giving Roku an exclusive free Sunday-night package as the league uses connected-TV reach to create a regular destination for viewers within an increasingly fragmented US media portfolio. By Chris Brown
OneFootball turns Copa do Brasil into global pay-per-match test - OneFootball is selling Copa do Brasil knockout matches individually and through a tournament pass across more than 170 countries, testing whether fragmented international demand can be monetised transaction by transaction. By Chris Brown
Russian broadcasts expose limits of football rights control - The EFL and SPFL are investigating how matches have appeared on a Russian streaming service despite neither league selling rights in the country, raising questions over feed security and control of international media distribution. By Chris Brown
MatchFit builds management layer after 50% growth - MatchFit has appointed its first managing director after reporting 50% revenue growth, signalling a shift from founder-led expansion towards a more formal management structure within the specialist football agency market. By Chris Brown
DAZN keeps Serie A UK rights but exclusivity narrows - DAZN has retained its Serie A rights in the UK and Ireland for 2026-27, keeping every match on its platform but reducing its exclusive allocation from eight to seven fixtures per round. By Chris Brown
Dynamo Dresden draw a line between fandom and content creation - Dynamo Dresden have restricted commercial stadium vlogging at the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, drawing a clearer line between private fan content and monetised creator activity as clubs seek greater control over media rights and the matchday experience. By Chris Brown
Liga F rights reset exposes gap between ambition and broadcaster demand - Liga F has been forced into a second round of bidding for its domestic broadcast rights after first-round offers failed to reach the competition’s €7m-per-season reserve price, creating fresh pressure around the media valuation of Spain’s top women’s league. By Chris Brown
Disney joins football creator race with The Overlap deal - Disney+ has struck a multimillion-pound partnership with Gary Neville’s The Overlap, adding Stick to Football and a new Wayne Rooney-led programme as streaming platforms compete for personality-driven football content. By Chris Brown
J.League targets global brand growth with IMG deal - Japan’s J.League has appointed IMG to lead its global sponsorship strategy and sales as the competition looks to turn more than a decade of Asian expansion into broader international commercial growth. By Chris Brown
LaLiga locks in long-term reach across South America and Europe - LaLiga has secured a series of broadcast agreements across South America and Europe, extending with ESPN and DSports while adding Sport Klub in Croatia and Slovenia as it locks in distribution for its next rights cycle. By Chris Brown
SportyNet deepens football rights push with Serie A package - SportyNet will show 76 Serie A matches in Brazil during the 2026-27 season under a sublicensing agreement with ESPN, expanding its Italian football offer across pay-TV and free digital distribution. By Chris Brown
Xsports builds football rights push with Saudi Pro League deal - Xsports has added the Saudi Pro League to its growing football rights portfolio in Brazil, securing a three-season agreement that will deliver two live matches from every round until 2029. By Chris Brown
DAZN takes Liga Portugal into four key markets - DAZN has expanded its football portfolio across four markets after acquiring selected Liga Portugal rights in Japan, Italy, Belgium and Spain for the 2026-27 season. By Chris Brown
DAZN locks up English football in Portugal until 2031 - DAZN has extended its exclusive Premier League rights in Portugal until 2031 and added the FA Cup from 2028, further consolidating its position around premium English football in the market. By Chris Brown
World Cup powers Fox to record revenue year - Fox’s FIFA World Cup coverage helped lift fourth-quarter revenue by 28% to US$4.21bn and advertising income by 78%, underlining the commercial value of premium live sport to the group’s broadcast and streaming strategy. By Chris Brown
Zee ends Serie A blackout with five-year subcontinent deal - Zee Entertainment has ended Serie A’s broadcast blackout across India and six neighbouring markets with a five-year rights deal covering the league, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana. By Chris Brown
DAZN doubles down on English football across Iberia - DAZN has extended its exclusive Premier League rights in Spain and Portugal until 2031 while adding the FA Cup in both markets, reinforcing English football as a central part of its Iberian subscription strategy. By Chris Brown
Disney+ makes LaLiga central to French sports push - Disney+ has secured exclusive French rights to every LaLiga match from 2026-27 until 2029, strengthening ESPN’s European expansion while adding premium football to customers’ existing subscriptions. By Chris Brown
CAF seeks broadcast partner for three-country AFCON test - CAF has opened a tender for a host broadcaster for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations as preparations accelerate for the first edition of the tournament staged across three countries. By Chris Brown
DAZN adds Eredivisie to Spanish football rights push - DAZN has acquired Spanish rights to the Eredivisie for the 2026-27 season, adding Dutch football to a portfolio that already includes major domestic leagues and international competitions. By Chris Brown
CANAL+ locks up UEFA club football across Africa - CANAL+ has secured exclusive rights to all UEFA men’s club competitions across more than 40 sub-Saharan African markets from 2027 to 2031, extending SuperSport’s coverage and strengthening the group’s premium football proposition following its MultiChoice acquisition. By Chris Brown
EA Sports tests live football distribution with Juventus - Juventus and EA Sports are extending their partnership into live media distribution, with the gaming company broadcasting two pre-season fixtures globally for the first time. By Chris Brown
Liga F resets broadcast model after early DAZN exit - Liga F has launched a new domestic and international media-rights tender after ending its DAZN agreement one season early, creating a crucial test of the Spanish competition’s broadcast value and distribution strategy. By Chris Brown
Ligue 1 adds broadcast muscle to Brazil’s streaming success - XSports will join CazéTV in showing Ligue 1 in Brazil for the 2026-27 season, adding nationwide free-to-air television distribution to the French league’s established digital reach. By Chris Brown
WSL resets weekend schedule after lunchtime audiences stall - The Women’s Super League will reintroduce Sunday evening matches and spread fixtures across six broadcast windows as it seeks to improve audiences under its £65m Sky Sports and BBC rights deal. By Chris Brown
Paramount+ builds regional football gateway with Concacaf deal - CBS Sports has secured exclusive US English-language rights to Concacaf’s three men’s club competitions until 2030, adding 137 matches per season to Paramount+ and strengthening the platform’s football portfolio. By Chris Brown