BT Sport was "left embarrassed on the opening day" of what it is hoping will be its "breakthrough season" after the broadcasters’ website and app struggled to cope with the demand for coverage of Sunday’s Community Shield between Arsenal and Chelsea. BT "had offered live streaming of the game online and on their app" (London GUARDIAN, 8/2). ... Sky Sports will "screen Tyson Fury’s world heavyweight title shot against Wladimir Klitschko" in Dusseldorf on Oct. 24.
The bout, for Klitschko’s WBO, IBF and WBA titles, "will take place at the Esprit Arena, Dusseldorf, and will make up half of a pay-per-view double-header on Sky Sports Box Office with Kell Brook’s defence of his IBF welterweight title in Sheffield." Also on the Sheffield bill will be Luke Campbell, who recorded his biggest win against Tommy Coyle in Hull on Saturday (LONDON TIMES, 8/4). ... Italy's top clubs, Juventus and AS Roma, "have agreed media deals at home and abroad."
Serie A champion Juventus has "signed an exclusive online partnership in China with Sina Sports." The deal "gives the company access to player interviews and daily video footage."
AS Roma has agreed to "a deal with Sky Italia for the launch of an official 24-hour Roma TV channel." The new network "will feature interviews and daily coverage from the club's training ground, and will give Sky access to archival footage to create programmes reflecting on Roma's history which will be available to viewers on demand" (SOCCEREX, 8/4). ... The NBA announced that beIN Sports (France & MENA), BT Sport (U.K.), Sport5 (Israel), Nova (Czech Republic and Slovakia), OTE (Greece), Sport 1 (Hungary), Dolce Sport (Romania) and Sportklub (Pan-Adriatics) have all chosen to join the NBA in supporting the charities affiliated with the first NBA game in Africa, which took place Saturday at Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg, South Africa and aired in 215 countries and territories. The sold-out NBA Africa Game 2015 was played in support of Boys & Girls Clubs of South Africa, SOS Children’s Villages Association of South Africa and the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The EMEA broadcasters supporting these charities all aired NBA Africa Game 2015 in their respective regions and made a contribution to the affiliated charities (NBA).
