Value of US sports broadcast rights up 18.7%

Lucrative broadcast deals such as the National Football League’s new $1.5 billion-a-year contract with DirecTV will surpass sales of sponsorships and merchandise this year and contribute most to revenue growth in the North American sports industry, according to consultancy PwC. The value of rights to air live matches on television, radio and digital devices will jump 18.7 percent this year to $14.8 billion from $12.5 billion in 2013, becoming the second-biggest segment of the $60.6bn sports sector after ticket revenue, the consultancy said.