Media

Bernie Ecclestone has been quoted as saying he had no immediate plans to relinquish control of Formula One.

Ken Livingstone, the outspoken mayor of London, will hold final approval for any London Olympic bid, the British Olympic Association (BOA) chairman has said.

A new network of websites aimed at uniting the UK?s domestic cricket community, and supported by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was launched at Lord?s Cricket Ground in London last night.

German media giant Kirch, holders of the European broadcast rights to the FIFA World Cup 2002 and 2006, will auction the rights in separate packages to both pay-TV and free-TV broadcasters in the UK.

Debt-laden German media company EM.TV & Merchandising is continuing to talk on an exclusive basis to Kirch Group on a rescue deal by the media giant, sources close to the negotiations have said.

Lennox Lewis was allegedly offered a last-ditch incentive by BSkyB to prevent him from switching the broadcast coverage of his fights to the BBC.

Hong Kong cable-TV operator i-CABLE Communications could lose the broadcasting rights for Premier League soccer in the England and Scotland to Rupert Murdoch?s Star TV.

Germany's EM.TV & Merchandising said talks on a rescue bid by rival media group Kirch would continue but the embattled company declined to comment whether the discussions remained exclusive.

British Olympic chiefs will meet government ministers today to decide whether London can launch a bid to bring the Olympic Games back to Britain for the first time since 1948.

Las Vegas casinos emerged as the big winner following the Baltimore Ravens? 34-7 rout of the New York Giants in last Sunday?s Super Bowl.

Turkish soccer authorities agreed a $465 million television deal on Wednesday to end a dispute over broadcast rights which delayed the second half of the season by a week, a spokesman for the governing body said.

The BBC says it would consider pitching a rival bid against Rupert Murdoch?s Sky for the rights to heavyweight boxing?s greatest prize ? live coverage of Mike Tyson against Lennox Lewis.

Shares in French commercial TV station TF1 - which had been hit recently by fears of slower advertising revenues - gained over two percent as investors cheered in-line 2000 earnings and a deal to buy all of Canal Plus and Havas Image's stakes in the Eurosport sports channel.

An increase in subscribers to Spain?s pay-TV channels ? the broadcasters of live Primera Liga soccer - has coincided with declining attendance at league matches.

Octagon Marketing has won the exclusive rights to capitalise on the commercial potential of chess worldwide over the next three years.

HBO.com is to launch a live interactive adjunct to HBO Sports' new 12-week talk/magazine show, On the Record with Bob Costas.