Media

UK mobile internet services company Wap Integrators and Premier League club Derby County have signed an agreement to provide fans with club branded mobile phones offering content from Derby County?s web site.

MLB Advanced Media, which manages MLB.com and each of the 30 official Major League Baseball club sites, has reported record traffic to its site.

The recommendations laid out in this week?s UK government-sponsored review on the gaming industry would not become effective for at least another five years, an independent report by an international broking firm predicts.

Harrah?s Entertainment, the world?s third biggest casino operator and sponsor of this week?s CART FedEx Championship series, blamed poor winnings at its Rio casino in Las Vegas and a drop in visitors to its casinos in northern Nevada for flat second earning figures.

UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB has unveiled a new digital set-top box which will allow sports fans to pause live broadcasts and record one programme whilst watching another.

Fox Sports Net has signed a deal with LodgeNet Entertainment which will see the broadcaster?s array of digital channels installed in hotels around the US.

ITV Digital, the commercial digital terrestrial TV service due to launch its ITV Sports Channel in August, says it is on target to break even in a couple of years.

The English Premier League has awarded the production contract for its 40 pay-per-view (PPV) soccer matches to satellite broadcaster Sky Sports in a deal reported to be worth around #2.5 million ($3.54m) a year.
Pay Per View Sport in Europe: A new report from SportBusiness Group: Click here

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.

Shares in English Premier League soccer club Manchester United have continued to rise ? along with concerns among supporters ? as the mystery deepens over who could be behind the purchase of a 6.7 percent stake.

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.

UK broadcaster, BBC Radio has secured the commentary rights for the cricket World Cup until 2007 for its Radio Five Live station.

The programming costs of the UK?s digital terrestrial sports channel ITV Sport will hinder the share performance of the network?s owners Granada and Carlton Communications, according to a research report from leading broker Merrill Lynch.

Harrah?s Entertainment, the casino operator, has been named as the title sponsor of this week?s CART FedEx Championship Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

Sports.com CEO Tom Jessiman has told sportbusiness.com the sports internet and mobile data company is well-placed to be the ?last man standing? in pan-European online sports content, following the #9.3million ($13m) equity funding boost from its existing investors.

ESPN International has appointed Brazilian native Antonio Barreto to oversee its entire Latin American operation.