EUROPEAN TELEVISION MOVIE RIGHTS : Most deals have some time to run.(ITV Digital signs 3-year TV broadcasting deal with Nationwide Football League)(International Pages)(Statistical Data Included)

Screen Digest, May, 2002

Movies, like sport, are a mainstay of television programmers for which competitive bidding has driven up prices in recent years. The television sports rights market, which we reviewed two months ago (see 2002/85-92), has run into problems that have led broadcasters as well as analysts to conclude that rights have escalated beyond a reasonable level and that a period of stability and even price reduction is called for.

Nowhere has this been more evident than in the UK, where the digital terrestrial television (DTT) service ITV Digital has had to renege on its commitment to pay the Nationwide Football League for its three-year contract. The sums did not add up. Such is the potential pitfall for start-up services that rely on bought-in programming for which...

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