Media

Pay-TV and terrestrial broadcasters will soon be battling it out to win the rights show live matches and highlights of Scottish soccer Premier League matches after current contracts run out at the end of next season.

Chrysalis, the media company which produces ITV?s Formula One coverage and is the financier behind UK-based sports website Rivals.net, reported a pre-tax loss of #5.6m ($8m)for the six months to February 28 compared with a profit of #100,000 ($142,000) for the equivalent period last year.

Cable operators NTL and Telewest are to work more closely together with the aim to compete more effectively with Europe?s second-largest pay-TV broadcaster BSkyB.

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.

The head of the Australian Rugby Union has rejected claims by his English counterpart that the British Lions were not getting a big enough slice of revenue from their upcoming tour of Australia.

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

Finnish ice hockey officials have agreed to host the 2003 world ice hockey championship, swapping the 2004 tournament with the Czech Republic who need more time to finish their facilities.

Eurosport has launched its 18th language version specifically for Greek-speaking viewers.

US pay-per-view cable television network iN DEMAND and Major League Baseball have signed a three-year agreement, allowing the distribution of ?MLB Extra Innings? on digital cable this summer through until 2003.

Hasim Rahman could make a surprise first defence of his world title against former champion Lennox Lewis on HBO rather than fight Mike Tyson on Showtime as most media experts had predicted.

The UK government has accepted terms offered by British Sky Broadcasting Plc (BSkyB), which will allow the British satellite TV group to take over the Open interactive TV platform it operates.

Granada Enterprises is lining up six companies, including Coca-Cola, to bid for sponsorship of UK-based broadcaster ITV's coverage of English Premier League soccer should the league's new title sponsor, Barclaycard, turn down the rights. The other five companies involved in a potential bid for the TV rights have not been disclosed.

The Professional Bowlers Association has signed a three-year broadcasting agreement with ESPN, giving the bowling tour its first consistent television presence since its contract with ABC Sports ended in 1997.

A local group trying to lure a National Basketball Association team to Memphis is asking other business people to contribute money towards the construction of an arena.

Racecourse and media group Arena Leisure Plc is raising #85m ($121m) in equity to help pay for its share of the multimedia rights to British horse racing won with the Go Racing consortium.

Australia?s Queensland state government will increase poker machine tax by as much as 20 per cent to fund its $280 million (US$145m) plan to upgrade Lang Park football ground.