TV Rights and Sport: Legal Aspects

With a Foreword by Dr Alexander Scheuer, Managing Director of the Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels.

It is fair to say that our lives in the twenty-first century are, in many respects, dominated by the media and sport; and, when combined, they are a very powerful force and mix indeed. Without the commercial exploitation of broadcasting rights and the resulting spectacular revenues generated, many sports events would never see the light of day.

The first part of TV Rights and Sport: Legal Aspects contains several contributions on the very important European Law aspects of sports broadcasting rights in the digital age as well as TV rights relating to major sports events. The second part of the book consists of 27 country studies within and beyond Europe.

The authors of the various chapters are all media law and sports law experts and address, from the point of view of the law and practice in their respective countries, amongst others, the following intriguing legal issues: the ownership of broadcasting rights; the commercial exploitation of those rights; and, with sport being such big business nowadays, the impact of competition law, including the vexed questions of the collective sale and purchase of sports broadcasting rights.

The book is a veritable mine of useful information and one that can heartily be recommended to all those involved in the creation, promotion, exploitation and protection of sports broadcasting rights around the world. A subject that will continue to challenge sports administrators, event managers, sports marketers, broadcasters and media service providers themselves and regulators, as well as their legal and other professional advisers, for many years to come.

The editing team consisted of Prof. Ian Blackshaw, Member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Prof. Steve Cornelius, Director of the Centre for Sports Law, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and Dr. Robert Siekmann, Director of the ASSER International Sports Law Centre.

The book appears in the ASSER International Sports Law Series, under the editorship of Dr. Robert Siekmann and Dr. Janwillem Soek.

Steve J. Cornelius is Professor of Law at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, where he teaches Law of Contract.

Ian Blackshaw is an International Sports Lawyer and a former Vice President Legal Affairs of the ISL Sports Marketing Group, Lucerne, Switzerland.

Robert C. R. Siekmann is general editor of The International Sports Law Journal (ISLJ) and series editor of the ASSER International Sports Law Series.