Media

The World Professional Pool Championships was the most watched sports programme on cable networks across Chinese Taipei during July according to host broadcaster ESPN.

The delay of the WBA heavyweight title fight between John Ruiz and Evander Holyfield was a "blessing in disguise" for Chinese organisers facing heavy losses on the event, promoter Don King said.

NTL, the UK?s largest cable operator which will broadcast Premiership pay-per-view soccer next season, reported a 26 percent increase in digital television customers for the second quarter ending June 30.
Pay Per View Sport in Europe: A new report from SportBusiness Group: Click here

UK terrestrial broadcaster the BBC has told sportbusiness.com that it still holds a strong hand in the upcoming fight for the domestic TV rights to the British Open Golf Championship.

IG Index, the London-based company which offers spread betting on sport and financial markets, reported a 53 percent increase in pre-tax profit to #15.4m ($22m) for the year ending May 31, about #1m ($1.6m) more than analysts? expectations.

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.

Pay-TV sports network PSN, which operates across Latin America, was the highest ranked cable channel for sports in Argentina during June.
Pay Per View Sport in Europe: A new report from SportBusiness Group: Click here

Viewing figures for the NBA play-offs are continuing to slide with the four games broadcast over the Memorial Day weekend averaging only a 6.3 television rating, down 16 per cent on the previous year.

Racetrack owner Arena Leisure has secured funding for the Go Racing consortium after raising #85.6m ($121.1m) through a placing and open offer of 90 million shares in the company at 95p.

Legal battles that have left Sri Lanka's cricket board in financial limbo will not affect tours by India and New Zealand this summer, a top sports official has said.

MVi Total Sponsorship, the sponsorship division of global media communications giant CIA, is set for a major expansion programme into Europe.

TV broadcaster ABC?s five playoff telecasts have averaged a 1.6 rating, an increase of 14 percent over last season?s first five games.

Drafting on the surging popularity of NASCAR stock car racing, a New York sports marketing firm unveiled plans on Tuesday for a racing league with up to a dozen teams set to begin competing in 2003.

Gobarkingmad, the greyhound racing service owned by UK-based online betting and leisure group Gaming Internet, is to get an additional cash injection of #8m to #12m ($11m to $17m) through an institutional placing and an offer to help fund this month?s launch of its website and next month?s launch of its digital television channel.

Kirch, Germany?s second-biggest media company, has agreed to sell some broadcast rights for the 2002 and 2006 soccer World Cups to Germany?s two state-owned channels ARD and ZDF for a reported $115 million.

FA chief executive Adam Crozier?s position has come under pressure over the weekend as the fallout from the Wembley stadium fiasco continues to spread.