Newly released figures "show big sporting events continue to attract Irish viewers to their television screens in record numbers." The Rugby World Cup was the "biggest sporting event" of '15 and this was reflected in the year’s TV viewing. The "top three positions are filled by matches involving the Irish rugby team at last year’s tournament, with four out of their five matches in the top 10." The "only match not to make it was Ireland’s first match of the competition against Canada." The "most watched match of 2015 was Ireland’s victory over France" (IRISH TIMES, 1/6). ... German OTT channel Sportdeutschland.tv "acquired a sublicense for the 2016 EHF European Men's Handball Championship" from public broadcasters ARD and ZDF. The subsidiary of media group ProSiebenSat.1 "will live stream all games without German participation." It is the "biggest rights deal for Sportdeutschland.tv to date" (SPONSORs, 1/7). ... Brazilian broadcaster Globo is set to sign a R$5.2M ($1.2M) deal "to air games from the forthcoming" Primeira Liga football tournament. The first edition of the league is set to get underway on Jan. 27, and Globo "will show all five rounds, from the group stages to the final" (SOCCEREX, 1/7). ... ONE World Sports announced that it will carry the complete 2016 Asian Football Confederation U23 Championship tournament beginning Jan. 12-30. Matches, which are being shown live from Doha, Qatar, the site of the 2022 World Cup, will be available on the ONE World Sports network and website (ONE World Sports).
