Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav said the company's int'l sports network, Eurosport, "could begin looking to expand into more traditional (and more expensive) premier sports rights in the future," according to Mike Farrell of MULTI CHANNEL. Zaslav "praised Eurosport," in which the company agreed to purchase a controlling interest from French sports giant TF1 earlier this year. The deal "is expected to close shortly." At the N.Y. presentation, Zaslav said that the addition of Discovery’s global scope -- its networks are available in 55 countries -- "should help Eurosport appeal to a broader market." And that could mean "acquiring rights to events that have broader appeal." Zaslav: “We have the ability to go for anything. What’s more likely is that we’ll be disciplined. The business is profitable today -- they’ve been smart about locking in their key sports for the next several years -- tennis, winter sports and cycling. Then the question becomes do we broadly or in select markets look to really drive much more aggressively into premier sports? We’re looking at that” (MULTI CHANNEL, 4/3).
