Match of the Day pundit and former England captain Alan Shearer has "extended his BBC contract" to '20. Shearer "joined the BBC shortly after his retirement" in '06 and has covered five major int'l tournaments. Shearer will be part of the BBC's team for Euro 2016 this summer, "including fronting a BBC One documentary reflecting on 20 years since Euro 96, when he was top scorer with five goals" (BBC, 4/20).
WINTER OLYMPICS: Swedish TV sport journalist Jonas Karlsson joined Discovery Networks Sweden and Eurosport. The experienced broadcaster joins a growing lineup of presenters as on-air anchor and presenter as Discovery and Eurosport build toward the Winter Olympic Games in '18. Karlsson's role will see him at the forefront of Discovery's coverage of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, following last year's announcement by the IOC that it had awarded all TV and multi-platform broadcast rights in Europe to Discovery and Eurosport for the 2018-2024 Olympic Games (Eurosport).
MEDIA BRIEFS ...
Brazilian TV network BandSports signed an agreement to broadcast the next two seasons of the Chinese Super League. The first game the network will cover will be Saturday's match between Guangzhou R&F and Jiangsu Suning (MKT ESPORTIVO, 4/19).
The Panasonic Open Golf Championship will be streamed live later this month at selected holes and locations during the weekend rounds at the Chiba Country Club to enhance the viewing experience. The Panasonic Open will be making its debut on the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour schedules from April 21-24. Viewers can view holes 1, 10 and 18 as well as the practice range during the third and final rounds at the Chiba Country Club on the Japan Golf Tour Organization official YouTube channel (Panasonic Open).
Motorsport.com announced it expanded its editorial presence in the Far East with the launch of the digital platform, Motorsport.com -- Japan. The announcement leverages the company's joint venture with Japanese digital media company Kotsu Times Sha. The strategic entry into Japan continues Motorsport.com's channel expansion program targeting the Far East (Motorsport.com).
Global, high-speed telecom solutions provider Hibernia Networks announced it has been selected by TV2 Norway to provide fully-managed video transport of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (TV2 Norway).
