DLA Piper has represented ESPN on the acquisition of its UK and Ireland TV business, including its live sports rights portfolio, by BT Group. Under the terms of the deal, BT will acquire the ESPN and ESPN America channels in the UK and Ireland and broadcast rights to the FA Cup, Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League, UEFA Europa League and the German Bundesliga.
The transaction is expected to be completed on July 31 of this year, and is still subject to regulatory clearance. BT will continue to operate at least one ESPN-branded channel, which is expected to form part of the BT Sport TV package that will be launched this summer. Until completion, the service for current subscribers to the ESPN channels across all television platforms remains unchanged.
The team representing ESPN in the US was led by Frank Ryan, and in the UK by Charles Severs, Nicholas Fitzpatrick and Yunus Maka, Kyle Quinn, and Caitlin Whale.
This is the latest major media deal handled by DLA Piper, which recently represented Al Jazeera Media Network in its acquisition of Current TV and Discovery Communications in its US$1.7 billion agreement to purchase SBS Nordic from ProSiebenSat.1, as well as in connection with Discovery’s acquisition of a 20 percent stake in Eurosport. Earlier in 2012, the firm represented ESPN in connection with a global bid process for the expansion of the Global X GAMES action/sports franchise.
