BeIN Sports extended its contract with the Premier League for another three years. The network will hold exclusive rights to all matches in the league in the Middle East and North Africa from '19-22. BeIN will exclusively screen 380 live games per season "in addition to magazine shows and pre- and post-match coverage." The agreement also covers OTT service beIN Connect (BROADBAND TV NEWS, 8/10).
Twitter signed a media rights deal with the Caribbean Premier League to livestream all matches of the '18 season in India "and 53 other countries around the world." This is the "first time that cricket fans in these countries will be able to watch full matches on Twitter and join in the live conversation at the same time." Indian viewers will also be able to watch more than 150 highlight video clips from the league, "courtesy of an in-stream video sponsorship collaboration with the league and title sponsor Hero MotoCorp" (ECONOMIC TIMES, 8/10).
Lagardère Sports launched the official EPL side West Ham mobile app, which provides fans with an immersive and interactive experience. Lagardère Sports is the exclusive digital sponsorship and activation agency of the club. The app is fully optimized for iOS and Android (Legardère Sports).
Canal+ announced it is dropping the Motorsport TV channel from Aug. 31. Launched in Sept. '01 under the brand Motors TV "Télévision Grande Vitesse," the channel will continue to be broadcast by other French operators. Meanwhile, Mediawan and TF1 signed an agreement to "relaunch the AB Moeteurs channel under the Automoto brand" (BROADBAND TV NEWS, 8/10).
Pay-TV operators in Russia signed "up to one and half times more subscribers than usual" during the World Cup. According to Kommersant, MTS gained 50% more new subscribers from June 14-July 15, with the number "quadrupling on the days the most anticipated matches," including those featuring the Russian national team, were played. However, DTH operator Orion noted "only a 3% increase during the competition" (BROADBAND TV NEWS, 8/10).
