Events

Ratings for the NBA playoffs on both broadcast and cable television remain down from a year ago, although favorable match-ups in the conference finals could help stop the bleeding.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has urged caution over the possibility of a united Korean soccer team representing the divided peninsula at the finals of the Asian Cup in Lebanon later this year.

The Kirch Group has decided on the price of its pay-per-view season tickets for the Bundesliga next season, reports the soccer industry newsletter, The Soccer Investor Weekly Bulletin.

Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who served a three-year jail term in the U.S. for rape, has been granted British immigration clearance to fight in Scotland next month.

Ken Bates, chairman of Premier League Chelsea, kicked off the online auction of Wembley Stadium by buying a piece of the hallowed turf for #20,000 ($30,000).

The 2000 Cuervo Wakeboard Pro Tour, which is taking place this summer in five venues across Europe, has secured a series of five TV programmes in the Meridian, Anglia and HTV regions.

British Eurosport is to broadcast round the clock coverage of Euro 2000 ? and let its viewers select the nighttime programming by voting on the internet.

Virtual imaging firm Orad Hi-Tec Systems has signed a deal for its CyberSport system to Japanese firm IMAGICA.

The BBC has pulled its flagship Saturday sports show Grandstand from its schedules this weekend as a result of intense competition from its rival free-to-air channels.

The English Football Association has apologised to Denmark for violence involving Arsenal fans at the UEFA Cup final but said it would not affect England's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup.

The World Indoor Soccer League in the US is seeking a naming rights sponsor.

ISL Worldwide is to buy up all outdoor media sites surrounding the venues staging soccer?s Euro 2000 in a bid to thwart any plans of ambush marketing.

Laurie Landgrebe, director of marketing for Pro Player Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins, has enlisted the help of the NFL in securing a new naming rights deal.

Africa should host a soccer World Cup but not the 2006 tournament, said Franz Beckenbauer, who is leading Germany's bid to stage the event.

An IOC member is being investigated over alleged irregularities in the bidding process for the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Joesp Lluis Nunez, president of Barcelona for the last 22 years, has announced his planned resignation in July. Nunez intends to initiate a major overhaul of the club before he departs, which will include the sale of Rivaldo, the World Player of the Year.