The United States Tennis Association announced an extension of the exclusive broadcast rights agreement in Japan for long time partner WOWOW. The five-year extension of WOWOW's agreement will allow the Japanese pay-TV broadcaster to offer the U.S. Open through '21. WOWOW first broadcast the U.S. Open in '91, the year of the service's launch. This renewal prolongs the partnership beyond 30 years (USTA).
The BBC aired "a selection of classic comical moments to mark the 90th anniversary of sports radio commentary." Sunday "marks the ninetieth anniversary of the first ever BBC radio sports commentary" -- a Five Nations rugby match between England and Wales on Jan. 15, 1927. The BBC marked the date with a "special" program dedicated to the channel's nine decades of sports commentary. 90 Years of BBC Radio Sport Commentary, which was broadcast on Thursday, featured a number of "iconic commentary moments" (London TELEGRAPH, 1/11).
Sunday's North West derby between ManU and Liverpool "will see the first use of Spidercam technology in the Premier League, after the local council approved plans for implementation earlier this week." Spidercam is a camera that "roves above the pitch, able to capture action across 360 degrees and suspended on four cables" -- one connected to each corner of the ground. The technology first came into use in the U.S. in '84 and has previously been deployed at FIFA World Cups and in the UEFA Champions League (London TELEGRAPH, 1/12).
Canal+ is "to start coverage" of Ligue 1 football in Ultra HD. The first match to be screened in the format will be the Jan. 29 clash between Paris St. Germain and Monaco. The "plan is to broadcast every Sunday evening match in Ultra HD" (BROADBAND TV NEWS, 1/12).
NEP The Netherlands is "providing the complete technology for the Ziggo Sport channels, with an end-to-end workflow developed by NEP and built in-house." Last May, Liberty Global, the parent company of Ziggo Sport, selected NEP The Netherlands to "build, operate and maintain the complete playout and technical production for the open Ziggo Sport channel," available exclusively for Ziggo subscribers, and a pay-TV service called Ziggo Sport Total, which consists of six channels and is passed through the TV distributors in the Netherlands (BROADBAND TV NEWS, 1/12).
L’Équipe announced its TV channel will broadcast the Women’s European Handball Federation Cup matches featuring French Women’s First League sides Nantes and Brest. The channel acquired three group-stage matches. On Jan. 14, viewers can watch Brest vs. Kuban, followed by Nantes vs. Randers on Jan. 21 and Nantes vs. Oldenburg on Feb. 4 (L’Équipe).
