Dutch broadcaster RTL "has retained the rights" to the UEFA Europa League for the period '15-18.
The commercial network "will provide live match coverage and highlights programming" on TV via its RTL 7 channel and online via its RTL XL service. In addition, Austrian broadcaster Puls 4 and online portal Sportnet.at will combine to provide coverage of the Europa League. Puls 4 has secured the exclusive TV rights to the competition, while Sportnet.at has picked up online and mobile rights (SOCCEREX, 12/15). ... Goal has secured live and exclusive U.K. and Ireland rights to broadcast the FIFA Club World Cup, currently underway in Morocco -- beginning with Champions League winner Real Madrid's semifinal match (Goal). ... Growing Internet penetration and a large youth population "has helped" Facebook "expand its userbase in India to 112 million" -- the second largest after the U.S. The number of daily active users from India now stands at 52 million (PTI, 12/16). ... BeIN Sports Editorial Dir Florent Houzot announced Monday that the network has "recently put" the finals of the Men's and Women's Handball World Championships (Dec. 5-20, 2015 in Denmark) on the free-to-air market. These are considered events of “major importance” that “cannot be retransmitted on an exclusive basis which could result in the depriving of a large part of the public from the possibility of following them.” While beIN Sports would be required to "launch a call for tenders" if "the French team reaches the finals," the Qatari network has “decided to do it in advance.” An outcome is “likely to come down” in the coming days (L’EQUIPE, 12/16). ... DirecTV acquired the exclusive broadcast rights throughout the Caribbean region for FIFA events from '15-22. This period will include the 2015 Women's World Cup, the 2018 World Cup, the 2019 Women's World Cup and the 2022 World Cup, among other events. The deal includes exclusive broadcast rights on all platforms. DirecTV PanAmericana President Jacopo Bracco said, "We feel proud to offer the FIFA World Cup to fans throughout the Caribbean, and thus continue positioning DirecTV as a leader in sports content" (DirecTV).
