ESPN added to its lineup of live football with the acquistion of French Ligue 1 rights and renewals of its agreements to cover Italian Serie A, the Netherlands Eredivisie and the Russian Premier League. The agreements all include multimedia rights -- across TV and digital media -- in the U.K. and Ireland. The new deals come as ESPN also announced a new three-year extension to its coverage of the Bundesliga. The French top league will be appearing for the first time on ESPN, which last season brought viewers the French League Cup final and the French Cup final. (ESPN).
DOWN SOUTH: INDIANTELEVISION.com reported that Taj television-owned sports network Ten Sports "inked a multi-platform rights deal to broadcast the French football league for three years" through '15 in South Asia. The deal, negotiated with MP & Silva, offers "232 matches showcasing Ligue 1 and Coupe de la Ligue" -- the French league cup. On top of live matches from Ligue 1 and Coupe de la Ligue, Ten Sports will also telecast a Ligue 1 weekly preview show (INDIANTELEVISION.com, 7/25).
