Media

The English Football League has appointed Richard Masters, 34, as its new Commercial Director.

British bookmakers expect to take bets worth up to #100m (US$143.2m ) this weekend - one of the busiest in the UK sporting calendar.

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) is reviewing Perth?s future as an international venue, placing in doubt the Tri-Nations test between Australia and South Africa scheduled for August.

ESPN may set up a new cable channel dedicated to outdoor fishing and boating, following its acquisition of BASS Inc. (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society).

Sports fans in the mid-Atlantic region of the US have a new TV station after Comcast SportsNet debuted this week.

Max Mosley, the head of Formula One?s governing body, has appealed for a ?sensible arrangement? to be found by the F1 teams calling for a breakaway championship series.

KSS Sports and Leisure Design Ltd, the London-based Sports Entertainment design group, have been selected by the Haifa Economic Corporation Ltd, to masterplan and design the new Haifa Sports Complex in Israel.

ISL will buy its way out of the $1.2billion marketing, licensing and broadcasting rights deal signed with the ATP and top tournaments, according to news sources.

Comcast Corporation, which acquired Home Team Sports (HTS) from Viacom in February, has renamed the cable network Comcast SportsNet after its flagship brand in Philadelphia.

The much-maligned XFL has embarked on an advertising campaign to promote the April 14-15 playoff weekend and the April 21 Championship Game, dubbed the "Million Dollar Game.?

Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) has signed a title sponsorship deal with the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula to become title sponsor of Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca.

The future of Formula One hangs in the balance on Wednesday, after the sport's leading car makers announced they intended to set up a rival championship.

GG-Media has emerged as a new bidder offering media coverage from 26 of the UK's smaller racecourses in the latest tussle over the sale of media rights for horse racing, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

The two rival European club basketball leagues have officially reunified ? with the new league to be known as the EuroLeague.

The current ?feel good factor? in English cricket had created several lucrative commercial deals for the England and Wales Cricket Board, its chief executive, Tim Lamb said today.

The NFL?s new media operation is considering subscription fees as a revenue source, following the slump in US ad sales.

The organisers of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester have defended their handling of the event after coming under fire for failing to promote it enough.

Cheltenham & Gloucester, the financial services company, has announced a three year sponsorship agreement with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that will see the company become title sponsors of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy, the premier One-Day knockout tournament in England and Wales.