Media

The Rugby Football Union (RFU), MBNA Europe Bank Limited (MBNA) and global licensing agency Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG) have launched the official England Rugby Visa Card.

Bill Gates and Microsoft are throwing their financial support behind next year's Commonwealth Games in Manchester, signing up as an official sponsor and technology supplier.

French media giant Vivendi is the company locked in buy-up talks with troubled Swiss marketing firm ISL.

ISL?s parent company, the ISMM Group, has admitted for the first time it is in dire financial straits and is on the verge of bankruptcy ? with its future now in the hands of a Swiss court.

India's government has told the country's cricket board it should not send a team to the forthcoming Sharjah tournament in which Pakistan are also competing.

Hong Kong, weary of trying to crack down on illegal football betting, is instead thinking of legalising soccer wagers to head off crime and reap millions of dollars in tax revenue. For the full story see the FEATURES section of sportbusiness.com.

Ireland's three remaining Six Nations rugby union internationals have been postponed until next season because of the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

The monetary value of Champions League football to English soccer clubs has been dramatically emphasised with the revelation that Leeds United has increased turnover by 67% for the last six months of last year.

The delay in holding a public referendum in Memphis on whether to finance an NBA-worthy arena could kill the city's chances of getting a team, officials have warned.

Interactive sports content company Sportal has unveiled a demonstration version of an interactive broadband sports channel.

The Salt Lake Organising Committee is confident that its computer network will perform well for next February's 2002 Winter Games.

Greece's state-run Soccer Pools and Lottery Organisation (OPAP) hopes to raise about 60 billion drachmas ($156.2 million) through a share sale to help fund the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Tickets.com and the Milwaukee Brewers are expanding their relationship to include retail distribution through Tickets.com's retail outlets and call centres.

Australia?s Channel 7, anxious to avoid the criticism which rivals Channel 9 received for not showing this month's epic Australia v India Tests, is seeking the help of the ABC when it covers the Ashes series this year.

Melbourne?s transport operators have teamed up with the Australian Football League to produce AFL Metcards.

English Premier League club Sunderland said on Wednesday they wanted to be one of the richest clubs in the world.