Eurosport agreed to a three-season deal to screen Formula E in Europe from '17-18. The broadcaster will hold exclusive and sub-licensing rights in all markets except the U.K. and Italy, where Eurosport holds non-exclusive rights, "with some rights being sub-licensed to free-to-air media partners" (THE DRUM, 10/20).
Sport1 US, the German pay-TV channel for fans of U.S. sports, left OTT platform Amazon Channels. The withdrawal took place "due to copyright reasons." A Sport1 spokesperson said, "The legal issue arose on short notice and wasn't foreseeable in this form." The channel remains available on all other platforms (BROADBAND TV NEWS, 10/20).
Spanish broadcaster Mediapro announced plans to grow its esports activities internationally -- starting in Portugal and then Latin America. Mediapro Group said that it is "exporting its Professional Video Games League (LVP) model to Portugal, Mexico and Argentina," with the first professional competitions to be organized in these markets "in the coming season" (DIGITAL TV EUROPE, 10/20).
The Olympique Lyonnais vs. Everton Europa League match, broadcast on W9 in France, drew an average audience of 1.57 million viewers. The number translated to a 7% market share, with a peak audience of 2 million. Pay-TV channel beIN Sports also broadcast the match, but did not announce its audience (L’ÉQUIPE, 10/20).
