Germany

RTL Group, Europe's largest free-to-air broadcaster, has warned investors that its full year earnings would fall more than a third below last year's levels because of the continual deterioration in the advertising market.

German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom has become the first official partner to sign an agreement solely for the 2006 World Cup.

KirchGruppe unit KirchMedia has continued its 'mopping up' operation in regard to the sale of World Cup broadcast rights with the conclusion of further deals in minor football markets.

German media company ProSiebenSAT1 Media has been downgraded by investment bank Merrill Lynch on the back of falling ad revenues and higher sports related programming costs in 2002.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has announced that the winner of the 2002 World Cup will have to qualify for the 2006 tournament in Germany.

Belarus Interior Minister Vladimir Naumov has been unanimously elected as president of the country's ice hockey federation.

European sports website Sports.com has launched its own World Cup site to compete with the official site for the tournament being provided by internet portal Yahoo!

FC:tbol de Primera will broadcast Saturday's draw for the 2002 soccer World Cup.

KirchMedia has completed the sale of the French television rights for next year's World Cup in Japan and Korea to TF1, the French commercial channel, in a deal worth B

The president of one of Holland’s leading soccer clubs believes that top European soccer will exist only in four major markets unless drastic steps are taken to reshape league structures in small markets.

The president of one of Holland’s leading soccer clubs believes that top European soccer will exist only in four major markets unless drastic steps are taken to reshape league structures in small markets.

Britain's sporting image was severly dented today after The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) decided to reopen bidding for the 2005 World Championships following the Picketts Lock debacle.

Sports website operator Sports.com has acquired the German arm of Sportal – Sportal.de – for an undisclosed sum.

French fans will be able to watch the national team defend the World Cup on free-to-air television after commercial TV group TF1 said yesterday it had bought the rights to show the 2002 South Korea/Japan tournament in France.

Thomas Martens, chief executive of German rights agency Global Sportnet has told sportbusiness.com that the acquisition of the company by global advertising giant WPP is “just the beginning”.

German sports rights agency Global Sportnet has been acquired by the global advertising agency WPP in a move that confirms consolidation trends in the sports rights and media market place.