ARENA DENIES CLAIMS ON SHARING TV RIGHTS

TV broadcaster Arena has dismissed reports that it is negotiating with pay-TV broadcaster Premiere AG to share the German pay-TV rights that it won last December.

“We are not in talks with Premiere over a sub-licensing (deal),” said Christoph Bellmer, Arena's head of technology and sales.

A spokesman for Premiere, however, said that the company is negotiating with companies that own the TV rights and is confident it will broadcast some games.

Premiere is the current holder of the country’s pay-TV rights but in a surprising and possibly devastating move for the company, Arena was awarded the rights in December.