Events

The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) has filed a lawsuit against Canadian businesses that it claims are illegally distributing pay-per-view telecasts of WWF events.

The European Commission (EC) has challenged UEFA's policy of selling free and pay-television rights for the Champions League on an exclusive basis.

Charlie Ergen, chief executive of satellite platform EchoStar Communications, has confirmed the rejection of a merger bid for rival US broadcaster DirecTV.

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.

The war on drugs in sport can never be fully won, according to newly-elected International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge.

The English Premier League has awarded the production contract for its 40 pay-per-view (PPV) soccer matches to satellite broadcaster Sky Sports in a deal reported to be worth around #2.5 million ($3.54m) a year.
Pay Per View Sport in Europe: A new report from SportBusiness Group: Click here

Organisers said they were not worried ticket sales for the world athletics championships were $1.65 million ($2.4 million Canadian) below their $8.33 million ($12.5 million Canadian) target on Wednesday, 16 days before the opening ceremony in Edmonton, Alberta.

Go Racing, the media consortium run by UK broadcasters Channel 4 and BSkyB and track owner Arena Leisure, has hired its first marketing director just a few weeks after it agreed a #387m ($545m) ten-year multimedia racing rights deal with the British Horseracing Board and the Racecourse Association.

The programming costs of the UK?s digital terrestrial sports channel ITV Sport will hinder the share performance of the network?s owners Granada and Carlton Communications, according to a research report from leading broker Merrill Lynch.

Investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (DKW) has distributed a research note claiming that Manchester United plc has been the subject of bid speculation.

The NASCAR Winston Cup series has continued to record impressive television ratings with the latest race at the new Chicagoland Speedway attracting an audience of 21 million.

The PGA Tour will receive about $900 million from six US broadcast and a cable networks to show its tournaments from 2003 though 2007, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The official website for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, Lionstour.com, attracted over 10 million page impressions during the tour.

US television executives have said that Tiger Woods' popularity was not a significant factor in their new deals with the PGA Tour.

English Premier League football club, Everton has appointed its first direct marketing agency, Huet & Company, with the aim of boosting the club?s fan database by over 140,000 names.

Only 10 per cent of an expected 400,000 visitors to Japan from South Korea will be able to get a flight to the soccer World Cup next year, according to Chung Mong Joon, the co-chairman of the tournament?s organising committee.