Media

Hungarian retail group Fotex bought a majority stake in first division soccer champions Ferencvaros on Saturday in a deal worth 2.4billion forints ($8.38m), commercial television station RTL Klub said.

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) allegedly stopped its only competitor from full coverage of a Manchester United soccer event it had sponsored.

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has hired the chief executive of advertising giant WPP and the chairman of Australian telecommunications company Telesra, to help sell its marketing and media rights following the collapse of its former commercial partner, ISL.

Organisers of next year?s Commonwealth Games in Manchester claim to have already raised more money in sponsorship and commercial income than any other UK sporting event has ever attracted.
How to Develop Effective Sponsorship Programmes: A new report from SportBusiness Group: Click here

French media group Vivendi Universal has unveiled strong second-quarter revenue and earnings growth, bucking the current downturn in advertising spend.

England?s Institute of Football Management and Administration (IFMA) has a new chairman.

US drinks conglomerate Ambev could be kicked into touch by Coca Cola in the South American publicity stakes for soccer?s 2002 World Cup.

The NFL is claiming a yet-to-be-built stadium in downtown Detroit will be the most unique and innovative sports complex in the country.

Ladbrokes, the world?s largest bookmaker, is reportedly planning to invest #40million ($57m) in high street betting shops in the UK to take advantage of tax-free gambling.
Online Gambling: The Regulation of Global Sports Betting: A new report from SportBusiness Group: Click here

Enic, the sports group that owns English Premier League soccer team Tottenham Hotspur, is expected to announce this week that it has sold UKbetting.com, its internet bookmaker, to Eric Semel, a former director of one of Las Vegas?s largest casinos.
Online Gambling: The Regulation of Global Sports Betting: A new report from SportBusiness Group: Click here

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.

Promoters of dog racing in the UK have given the British Greyhound Racing Board (BGRB) a mandate to handle the sale of the intellectual property rights, including photo, betting and media rights, in return for two extra seats on the board.

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.

Tele-Cine, the builders of secure TV and internet production facilities, has signed a long-term contract to provide transmission services for the digital TV channel gobarkingmad - a live, 24-hour greyhound racing channel where punters can see a race every five to eight minutes.

UK cable companies NTL and Telewest, both of which will broadcast Premiership pay-per-view soccer next season, may be forced into financial restructuring in the face of mounting debts.

The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) has filed a lawsuit against Canadian businesses that it claims are illegally distributing pay-per-view telecasts of WWF events.