Events

The Portland Trail Blazers have received criticism from basketball fans for showing Game 2 of the playoff series against Utah on pay-per-view at a cost $24.95. The game was broadcast nationally by the TNT cable channel, and blacked out within a 35-mile radius of downtown Portland. Responding to the criticism Harry Hut, the Blazers Senior vice-president for marketing said: ``People get the idea there's an obligation on the part of the team to televise a game, but there isn't.? The team, he said, wants ``to protect the home gate ... to provide a sold-out crowd atmosphere'' at the Rose Garden. However, Sunday's Game 1 of the series against the Jazz, shown on NBC, attracted a capacity crowd of 20,351.

The Premier League is to consider a TV rights auction after 75 requests were received for the tender document when the deadline for the broadcasters? initial bids passed yesterday. The number of bids for the next three-year deal was even more than the Premier League had originally anticipated.

The European Broadcasting Union, the association of Europe?s public service broadcasters, said it is satisfied at a decision by the European Commission authorising the joint acquisition and sharing of sports rights by EBU members in the framework of Eurovision.

FirstEntertainment, the multimedia internet entertainment company, has signed a sponsorship agreement with Team USA for the Trans-Atlantic Rowing Race to be held in October 2001.

Bids for the new English Premier League broadcast contract must be submitted today, with analysts suggesting the deal could break the #2bn ($3,2bn) mark.

The Australian government has said it expected this year's Sydney Olympics to give the economy a boost in the September quarter, adding about one percentage point to gross domestic product and cutting the current account deficit.

Olympic officials have expressed relief over the appointment of Yianna Angelopoulos as chief organiser of the Athens 2004 Olympics, saying they now expected fewer delays and harder work from Greece.

Turner Network Television (TNT) will televise the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards. The awards ceremony, a gala to celebrate sporting excellence across all disciplines and all continents, has been established by DaimlerChrysler and Richemont. The awards will be taped in Monte Carlo on Thursday, May 25.

NASCAR and the Indy Racing league has added two new venues to its 2001 schedule with new stops in Chicago and Kansas City.

UK-based on-line sports content company Global Cyber Sports.com (GCSC) has reached an agreement with ITV?s Granada Television to place the banner of the GCSC Ferrari clothing e-commerce site on Granada?s Formula 1 site www.itv.f1.com.

English soccer?s Premier League clubs earned record revenues during 1998/99 but saw profits slump by more than a half.

Legislators are poised to approve next week a total loss to taxpayers of $945 million for hosting the 2006 Asian Games in Hong Kong along with an event for disabled athletes.

Fox Sports International has launched a new all-sports channel for Central and Eastern Europe.

Denver Stadium district board members are expected to decide on the naming rights for the Denver Bronco?s new stadium this summer. The naming rights issue will be discussed at six public hearings before a decision is made.

Sportsworld Media Group plc, has been appointed exclusive marketing and media agent to the International Triathlon Union (ITU).

The gulf between England's rich and poor soccer clubs is growing and smaller teams may need to merge to survive, a British report has said.