Media

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has guaranteed that key matches during World Cup 2002 will be available to free-to-air viewers, including the opening game, the semi-finals, the final and all matches involving national teams.

South Korea plans this week to discuss cultural and sports exchanges with North Korea - including sharing of some 2002 World Cup soccer matches.

Athoc 2004, the organising body for the Athens Olympics, is setting up an online management information system to cover more than 130 games-related projects being launched this year.

IOC delegates have heaped praise on Toronto's plans to stage the 2008 Olympics, saying they were impressed with the city's athlete-oriented focus and dismissed detractors who sought to cast a pall on Toronto's squeaky-clean reputation.

XFL owner Vince McMahon has insisted his league will survive long term even though uncertainty over its viability has caused WWF stock to plummet 35 percent since its February 3 debut.

Two of Europe?s broadcast giants are in talks to merge their sports operations, according to paytvtoday.com.

While Beijing sprayed its grass green to impress Olympic Games inspectors, Toronto is about to greet the officials with a thick blanket of new snow as it makes its pitch to host the 2008 Summer Games.

Germany's Kirch Group and public broadcasters ARD and ZDF have reached a television rights agreement for the next two World Cups after Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder asked them to work out a deal.

Britain will not restore terraces at soccer stadia after studying a report into standing accommodation in Germany, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary of State Chris Smith said in a statement.

England Premiership soccer club Leeds United has launched LUTV, a behind the scenes insight into the club through their official website.

The Melbourne Cup, Australia's most famous horse race, will carry a purse of US$2.12 million this year, the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) has said.

Premier Rugby said that this season's winners of the Zurich Premiership will be the English Champion Club and will qualify as number one seed for the new end of season Zurich Championship play-offs.

Fox Sports? coverage of NASCAR Winston Cup racing from North Carolina Speedway last Sunday recorded an 8.2/19 US rating/share, according to figures released by Nielsen Media Research.

Car makers may set up their own motor racing championship if talks with German media group Kirch, which owns 75 percent of Formula One broadcast rights' company SLEC, do not lead to a deal, German media reported.

The relationship between Channel Seven and the Australian Football League appears to have turned nasty with the Seven Network signing a major sponsorship deal with brewery Lion Nathan.

United Airlines has appointed Craigie Taylor International as sponsorship agency for its latest venture ? the British Sydney 40 entry in the Admirals Cup.