Media

The XFL may be accused of attracting poor primetime ratings on NBC, but the head of Fox Sports has said that the football league's innovations such as on-field cameras and microphones could have ``major ramifications'' for TV coverage of all other sports.

Alan Sugar's 10-year reign as the owner of Tottenham Hotspur ended on Wednesday when media group ENIC completed its purchase of his 26.9 percent holding, worth around 22 million pounds ($31.84 million).

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder urged the Kirch Group on Wednesday to resume talks with public broadcasters to ensure that the 2002 and 2006 soccer World Cups can be seen on free television in Germany.

English premiership club Tottenham Hotspur Plc said sport and media group ENIC had completed its purchase of former chairman Alan Sugar's 26.9 percent holding, worth around 22 million pounds.

German media group EM.TV & Merchandising has exercised an option to lift its stake in Formula One racing to 75 percent, gaining control over broadcast rights to one of the world's most popular sporting events.

TVNZ Satellite Services is hopeful it will retain the Premier League global satellite carriage contract when the current three-year contract concludes at the end of the 2000-2001 season.

Formula One will still be broadcast live on German free television after Kirch and EM.TV increase their stake in the holding which owns the commercial rights to races, Kirch said on Wednesday.

GlobeCast is to host the Salt Lake City 2002 Broadcast Base at its technical operations centre in the host city.

TVNZ Satellite Services has appointed the ex-BBC and BSkyB specialist Jenny Webb to head its new regional office in Sydney.

Three Australian soccer clubs - believed to be Eastern Pride, Canberra Cosmos and Brisbane Strikers - are understood to have been told they have failed to satisfy the financial criteria set down by Soccer Australia for inclusion in the new National Soccer League next season.

Formula One's five European car makers said on Tuesday they opposed any moves that would lead to one television company controlling the commercial rights to races.

Dorna has made a special presentation to motorsports governing body FIM of its marketing plans for motorcycling?s Enduro World Championship.

The head of Renault Sport says it is out of the question for Formula One racing to be broadcast on pay-television channels.

Oscar De La Hoya's next fight will be screened on HBO while the fighter is still in legal dispute with the US cable channel.

Poor ticket sales for the Malaysian Formula Grand Prix has been blamed on hotel owners hiking up room prices, according to the circuit?s owner.

NBC will honour its two-year contractual commitment to XFL - despite another viewing figure slide in Week Four of the season.