Media

Sunday night's World Cup final between France and Brazil set a new television audience record in host country France with an average of 23.626 million people watching, a spokesman for audience measurement body Mediametrie said on Monday.

TF1, France's biggest private terrestrial television station, had receipts of 52 million francs for advertising it carried during the World Cup final on Sunday, an advertising executive at the station said.

Television companies who use digital technology to superimpose studio-generated advertising on live broadcasts have been threatened with a ban from the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Spanish-language broadcaster Univision has turned out to be biggest U.S. beneficiary in this years World Cup.

Walt Disney-owned ESPN has abandoned its much-announced plan to get into the regional-sports-network business with ESPN West.

The Goodwill Games are only half way to their ticket sales goal with the launch of the multi-sport extravaganza just four days away, but the top Games organiser is not concerned.

US network ABC scored a 6.9 rating in 40 major markets for its coverage of the World Cup final.

Independent French outdoor advertising firm Dauphin saw an exceptional level of turnover in June thanks to the World Cup, according to the firm's commercial director .

The acting Premier of Victoria, Pat McNamara, did not rule out Government intervention in a dispute between the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) and Australian Football League (AFL).

Australian watchdog, the Australian Broadcasting Authority, has announced it will review the use by commercial television company, Seven Network, of new "virtual billboard" advertising during sporting event broadcasts.

Fans of the world's number one sport may miss out on the next World Cup on television because the rights may be bought up by pay-TV companies, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has warned.

British Horseracing received a boost when the Horserace Betting Levy Board's Annual Report announced a growth of more than one percent in betting turnover on racing in 1997/8.

The Queensland Government has outlaid $A20 million to successfully bid for the 2001 Goodwill Games which will see $A167 million returned in direct economic benefits to the states.

American wrestlers will attend an international tournament in Iran in September, months after a groundbreaking visit by a U.S. team which launched exchanges between the two hostile countries.

France's Minister for Sport says she is opposed to a European soccer Super League.

European soccer champions Real Madrid have bolstered their commercial operation with the appointment of UK based merchandising consultants Zone signed Deloitte & Touche.