FremantleMedia strikes Bellator deals

FremantleMedia Enterprises has sold the Bellator Fighting Championships to a raft of international broadcasters.

The distributor has struck deals across Latin America, India, Israel and Norway for the mixed martial arts tournament, which is in its sixth season.

Turner has picked up the rights across Latin America and will syndicate it across 48 countries in the region. Big RTL, the joint venture Indian broadcaster has bought the tournament for its Thrill channel, while Ananey Communications in Israel will air it on its Ego Men’s package and TV2 has acquired it for Norway.

David Ellender, global CEO, FremantleMedia Enterprises, said: “FME partnered with Bellator at the end of last year as we could see there was an enormous appetite for mixed martial arts with audiences around the world. These new deals highlight just how popular the brand is becoming with fans outside of the US and we expect it to continue building momentum throughout 2012, both on and off screen.”