Ding Junhui's "run to the final" of the World Snooker Championship boosted TV audiences in China to 210 million viewers. Ding "became the first Asian man to reach the final." The sessions of the final, which was played on Sunday and Monday, "were watched by more than 45 million in China, the highest sports audiences for post-prime time programmes this year." The "total global audience for the tournament was over 300 million" (BBC, 5/4).
MEDIA BRIEFS ...
Eleven Sports Network has signed an agreement to bring the Int'l Champions Cup, the world's leading pre-season club football competition, to fans in Poland. This summer Polish fans will get live and exclusive coverage of the three tournaments which make up the global Int'l Champions Cup, played in China, North America and Australia, from July 22 to Aug. 13. The event will consist of 21 matches and 17 participating teams, with clubs including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris St. Germain, ManU, Man City and Leicester City (Eleven Sports Network).
The French National Rugby League (LNR) on April 18 opened its tender offer for the Top14 TV rights for the ’19-20 to ’22-23 seasons. The final date to submit offers was originally set for May 9, but has now been pushed back two days to May 11 (LNR).
