News

Broadcaster NASN buys rights to show NFL in Europe

European broadcaster North American Sports Network said on Wednesday it acquired exclusive rights to show National Football League games for four years in 17 European countries and shared rights in four others.

The deal, which does not include rights for Britain or Ireland, gives three-year-old NASN a key programming boost as it seeks to expand into new countries and to grab young male viewers in an increasingly cluttered European digital television landscape.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. It runs from the 2005-06 season through the 2008-09 season.

NASN shows baseball, basketball, Nascar and other U.S. sports and is currently available in Britain, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Iceland.

'The NFL represents one of the main pillars of American sports,' NASN Chief Executive Amory Schwartz said.

'It is an integral part of our continuing expansion, representing must-have content in most of the markets in which we operate,' he added.

For the NFL, the deal marks an opportunity to expand its audience outside the United States. The National Basketball Association has had notable success finding fans and players overseas, where soccer is the dominant sport.

'The NFL's popularity in Europe continues to grow, and we believe that NASN's approach complements our strategy to maximize coverage and build our European fan base,' said Katie Boes, senior director of international media for the league.

For most markets, NASN has rights to show a minimum of six regular season games a week -- four of them live. NASN also said it would broadcast 10 playoff games, the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl and the World Bowl, the championship game for the NFL's European league.

NASN also said it planned to show at least one hour a day from the league's NFL Network, including its flagship highlight and news programme, 'Total Access'.

The deal includes rights for Austria, Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland.

Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen was an original investor in NASN, but he sold his 70 percent stake in June. Investment firm Benchmark Capital acquired 50 percent and Irish broadcaster Setanta Sports raised its stake to 50 percent.