Events

US satellite TV operator EchoStar Communications has gone public with a $32billion (?36.36) all-stock offer to merge with rival DirecTV after previously withdrawing from the bidding after failing to make progress in private negotiations between the two firms.

A federal appeals court in San Francisco upheld the PGA Tour's procedures for determining playing positions in Senior PGA Tour events, setting aside claims from golfer Harry Toscano.

ESPN has sold out of its sponsorship packages for the seventh annual X Games to be held in mid-August in Philadelphia.
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NTL, the UK?s largest cable company which will broadcast Premiership pay-per-view soccer next season, is to axe 5,000 jobs over the next two years in a bid to meet its ambitious growth forecasts.
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As part of the $5.3billion (?6.06bn) sale of its Family Worldwide subsidiary to the Walt Disney Company, US broadcaster Fox has parted company with elements of its coverage of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Inter Milan's Uruguayan striker Alvaro Recoba has branded as unfair the upholding of a one-year ban for his part in a false passport scandal.

Nike?s chief executive Phil Knight has praised the US Supreme Court?s ruling earlier this week that the PGA Tour cannot ban disabled golfer Casey Martin from using a cart for tour events.

Chilean league soccer club O?Higgins has sacked its whole team for refusing to turn out for a match against Universidad de Chile.

Eurosport and Premium TV, the sports rights and content subsidiary of NTL, have rebutted an article published in the business section of UK newspaper The Sunday Telegraph (20 May 2001) claiming that NTL is trying to sell its stake in British Eurosport.

The International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport's governing body, is to focus on the use of technology for decision making at this week's Playing Committee (CC-P) meeting, taking place from May 23-25.

ESPN Regional Television, a subsidiary of ESPN Inc, has bought the Las Vegas Bowl from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

The XFL dream has died after World Wrestling Federation Entertainment said it was pulling the plug on the competition ? just four months after the first game was broadcast.

The Australian Olympic Committee members may be getting big pay rises this year to reward them for the ?best ever Olympic games?, but Stadium Australia Group, the builders of the A$690m ($351.7m) Aussie national stadium, has seen its share price tumble since the end of the games to A$0.10 ($0.05) from A$0.5 ($0.3).

Wireless Group, the owners of Kelvin McKenzie?s TalkSport radio station said losses for the year to December 31 2000 widened to #34.2 million ($49.3m) from #27.5m ($39.7m). Operating losses at TalkSport widened by #200,000 to #7.9m. Despite the losses, McKenzie said it had been a good year for the company, especially for TalkSport which saw its advertising market rise by 15 per cent.

Clipper Ventures, the yacht racing and marine events company, has acquired the business, trademarks, goodwill and rights to the Around Alone single-handed yacht race. The amount paid for the deal has not yet been disclosed.

Quokka Sports , which set out to revolutionise sports media by carrying events across the internet, shut off its last featured coverage on Wednesday, a series of mountain climbing dispatches from Tibet.