Events

Smaller Premier League clubs were ? railroaded? into signing some aspects of yesterday?s broadcast tender agreement, according to a report in The Guardian newspaper.

D.C United has attracted an offer from US cable company Discovery Communications to become a major sponsor of the MLS club in a one-year $150,000 (#95,000) deal, reports the soccer industry newsletter, the Soccer Investor Weekly Bulletin.

Broadband television portal Yes Television has signed an exclusive sports video on demand content agreement with Trans World International (TWI).

FIFA has praised South Africa's pitch for the 2006 World Cup as a technical team began a six-day tour find out how enthusiastic the country was about hosting the competition.

Leading US radio company Clear Channel Communications Inc is to buy SFX Entertainment Inc., the US entertainment and sports group for $4.4 billion in stock and debt in a bid to winmore business from advertisers.

Europe?s first ever live online race meeting is to take place this weekend when three races will be beamed live via the web from England.

The German Football Federation (DFB) and top Bundesliga clubs are bidding to launch their own pay-TV channel for the live broadcast of matches, according to the soccer industry newsletter, The Soccer Investor Weekly Bulletin, based on a report in the Suddeutsche Zeitung.

Australia has put forward Perth as its choice to host the IAAF?s 2005 World Championship. Perth, like bidding rivals London, does not yet have a suitable venue. But, while London has the promise of government backing, the Perth challenge has no such guarantees.

The UK government has rejected a report calling for greater restrictions on the sponsorship of sport by alcohol companies, fearing that it could cause financial problems for teams and events and prove unpopular with the fans.

South African World Cup 2006 bid officials are planning a charm offensive in Europe later this month, trying to convince European members of the FIFA executive committee of the merits of their candidacy.

ESPN and ABC Sports will merge their advertising sales staffs and have named Edward R. Erhardt, most recently vice president and group publisher of Advertising Age magazine to lead the combined entity.

The French government has agreed on a bill to tax revenues from broadcasting rights and use the proceeds to help sport at local and youth level.

Sky Sports has said it will allow the crunch England v Scotland Euro 200 soccer play-off second-leg to be shown live on terrestrial television, despite holding exclusive broadcast rights.

An Australian member of the International Olympic Committee severely reprimanded for taking free holidays in Salt Lake City has backed a possible permanent ban on IOC visits to cities bidding to host Games.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has confirmed that the Aussie government planned to apply its new 10 percent consumption tax to Sydney 2000 Olympics tickets sold at inflated prices to the wealthy.

Sports TV company Sportsworld Media has struck a #22.4 million deal to buy Australian Media Holdings, the TV and sports sponsorship group.