Events

Following press speculation earlier this week that telecommunications firm BT were in the frame for Premier League rights, today's proposed merger of UK media giants, Carlton and United News and Media, adds another twist to the plot of potential bidders.

Major League Soccer (MLS) had made a number of changes to its format and rules, as well as its matchday and broadcast schedules, according to the soccer industry newsletter, The Soccer Investor Daily Bulletin.

Almost two-thirds (65%) of the UK adult population watched England play Scotland in the Euro 2000 soccer playoffs.

Bundesliga director Wilfried Straub has described reports that the broadcast rights to the Bundesliga will be sold exclusively to pay TV next season as "premature".

Soccer's international governing body FIFA has unveiled a trio of computer-animated fantasy mascots for the next World Cup in what it said was a move to reflect the high-tech reputation of co-hosts Korea and Japan.

British broadcaster BSkyB has appointed Simon Green as general manager of Sky Sports Ventures.

Intel Corporation and CSI, Inc., the makers of facility-based entertainment networks, have signed a development agreement to advance CSI's ChoiceSeat technology, which provides an interactive experience to sports fans.

UK Minister of Sport Kate Hoey and government officials are examining the terms of Wembley's #120 million lottery funding to see if the money should be paid back by Wembley National Stadium Limited (WNSL), a subsidiary of the Football Association.

The European Commission?s sports commissioner, Viviane Reding, has indicated that soccer leagues in Europe may be allowed to continue negotiating their broadcast rights on a collective basis.

Wembley officials have rejected British government criticism that they had failed to produce plans for a national stadium capable of hosting both the Olympics and the soccer World Cup.

UK broadcaster Sky Sports has won the exclusive live rights to the next two Ryder Cups between Europe and the United States.

Soccer legend Pele has confirmed his support for South Africa's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup, saying he thought Brazil could be ready to stage the finals four years later.

British Sky Broadcasting, 40% owned by News Corporation, has agreed to pay $1.5 billion for a 24% stake in KirchPayTV, the German pay-TV operator.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Juan Antonio Samaranch has admitted he was not certain the IOC would agree this week to stop its members from visiting cities bidding to host Games in the future despite a damaging corruption scandal in the last year.

IOC chief Juan Antonio Samaranch has stepped into the row over the future of London's Wembley Stadium when he said that an arena holding 65,000 spectators would be big enough to host the Summer Games.

Wembley authorities have refused to back down when they presented the British government with a formal response to criticism of their plans for a new English national stadium.

The British government is to look at a compromise proposal by UK Athletics chief executive David Moorcroft aimed at solving the bitter dispute over plans for a new Wembley stadium.

Olympic chief Juan Antonio Samaranch, under fire for most of 1999 over a corruption scandal, has admitted he might have quit earlier this year if just a quarter of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had turned against him.