TV Rights and Sport: Legal Aspects

I feel very honoured to have been invited to contribute the Foreword to this book on sports TV rights. It is fair to say, I think, 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. It has been well said that sport and the media are, metaphorically speaking, a marriage made in heaven. This book in the now well-established Asser Sports Law Series of Titles, the brainchild of the Director of the prestigious T. M. C. Asser Instituut International Sports Law Centre in The Hague, Dr Robert Siekmann, is most certainly both timely and welcome. I am particularly enthusiastic about the fact that a number of esteemed colleagues who are members of the EMR Media Network have been invited to contribute to this collection. The first part of the book consists of 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 which are both of particular professional interest to me. Without the commercial exploitation of those rights and the resulting spectacular revenues generated, I may add, many sports events would never see the light of day, much to the disappoi- ment of the general public.

Introductory Remarks.- Introductory Remarks.- Sports Broadcasting In Community Law.- Sports Broadcasting In Community Law.- Sport As Reflected In European Media Law.- Sport As Reflected In European Media Law.- Major Events and Reporting Rights.- Major Events and Reporting Rights.- Sports Broadcasting Rights In The Digital Epoch: Balancing Between Traditional (Tv) and Alternative (3G) Subjects Of The Market From The Perspective Of The European Competition Law.- Sports Broadcasting Rights In The Digital Epoch: Balancing Between Traditional (Tv) and Alternative (3G) Subjects Of The Market From The Perspective Of The European Competition Law.- Whether The European Model Of Essential Facilities Doctrine Might Be Applied To The Contemporary Telecasting Of Premium Sports Content?.- Whether The European Model Of Essential Facilities Doctrine Might Be Applied To The Contemporary Telecasting Of Premium Sports Content?.- The Legal Nature Of Premium Sports Events: `IP or Not IP - That Is The Question'.- The Legal Nature Of Premium Sports Events: `IP or Not IP - That Is The Question'.- One World One Dream? Sports Blogging at The Beijing Olympic Games.- One World One Dream? Sports Blogging at The Beijing Olympic Games.- Tv Rights Related To Major Sports Events: The Example Of The Olympic Games.- Tv Rights Related To Major Sports Events: The Example Of The Olympic Games.- Country Reports.- The Netherlands.- Argentina.- Australia.- Belgium.- Bulgaria.- Cyprus.- Czech Republic.- Denmark.- France.- Germany.- Greece.- Ireland.- Israel.- Italy.- Japan.- Luxembourg.- Macedonia.- Poland.- Portugal.- Russia.- Slovakia.- Slovenia.- South Africa.- Spain.- Sweden.- Turkey.- Ukraine.- United Kingdom.- United States.- Concluding Remarks.