Media

Nasdaq-listed US racecourse and wagering operation Churchill Downs Inc has recorded revenues of $163.3million (?185m) for the second quarter, an increase of 24.0 percent, compared with $132.2m (?150m) for the same period last year.

American business icon Jack Welch, who is set to call it a day at General Electric, is poised to buy his favourite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox.

Trans World International (TWI) has won the contract for the television and new media rights to the Tennis Master Series, previously held by the now defunct ISL/ISMM.

UK firm BTopenworld, the online subsidiary of telecoms firm BT, has launched a cricket news and betting subscription service in partnership with online portal CricInfo and internet bookmaker BlueSquare.

According to reports in the Wall Street Journal, EchoStar Communications has abandoned its merger bid for US satellite platform DirecTV, leaving the way clear for Rupert Murdoch?s News Corporation to acquire the Hughes Electronics-owned subsidiary.

Thai soccer fans are concerned about the possible failure of talks over rights to broadcast the English Premier League's 2001-2002 season after free-to-air TV broadcasters and cable TV operator United Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) all rejected an expensive license fee.

The BBC?s sport website, BBC Sport, will provide live pictures over the internet of UK racing festival Royal Ascot at the end of June.

Police have arrested 40 people for illegal soccer bookmaking after extensive raids across Hong Kong in the run up to the Champions League final this week.

Beach soccer is to win the official recognition of governing body FIFA this week in a move that will greatly enhance the sport?s chances of winning Olympic status by 2008.

Sportal, the troubled UK-based sports internet company, has told sportbusiness.com it has room for ?cautious optimism? over finding an investor to save it from administration.

The European Broadcasters Union (EBU) has selected PanAmSat to provide full-time video contribution services to support live coverage of prominent sporting and special events from the Americas.

Interactive television services, which were used by 14.9million households at the end of 2000, will grow annually by 59 per cent in the next five years, according to a new report.

Television ratings for women's tennis are continuing an upward trend, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has said.

Spanish cycling bosses Manolo Sainz and Eusebio Unzue have bitterly criticised Tour de France organisers.

The St.Louis Cardnals wants to redevelop its Busch Stadium and offer up to 3.3m of its fans a retro-style, baseball-only ballpark which it said would offer spectators more ambiance and amenities.

English soccer fans may only be able to watch four of the 64 World Cup games on terrestrial television next year, according to Labour backbenchers John Grogan and Ivor Caplin.