Media

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the parent company for the NHL's Maple Leafs, the NBA's Toronto Raptors and the owners of the Air Canada Centre are set to debut a 24-hour channel devoted to the Maple Leafs in September.

UK firm Vision Sports PR has taken on two new accounts ? that of Coutts Sports and Entertainment client group and Loughborough University?s Loughborough Sport brand.

BSkyB has reported a first-half pre-tax loss of #112 million ($164 million) but subscribers to its pay TV service broke the five million barrier and the company expects to return to profit soon.

Sports internet company Sportal has been forced to axe 10 percent of its global workforce after investors demanded cutbacks.

Sportal and the cricket lovers bible Wisden, have signed a multi-year agreement for Sportal to be the exclusive commercial agent for Wisden Online.

New South Wales-based local authority Liverpool council has approved a major deal with the Bulldogs Leagues Club for a Aus$700 million ($382.3million) club, water recreation park, football stadium and indoor arena.

A number of Formula One car manufacturers are seeking an equity stake in F1 holding company SLEC, the family trust controlled by Bernie Ecclestone, a senior executive has confirmed.

A consortium of European investors and banks are expected to meet today to discuss a bid for the 50% stake in SLEC, the Formula One holding company, owned by the stricken German media company, EM.TV.

Cricket web site, CricInfo.com, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have signed an agreement making CricInfo the exclusive host of the official Pakistan web site for the next five years.

Motor racing promoter Bernie Ecclestone has been given a six-week deadline in which to pay the $360 million (#245m) agreed last June for the purchase of long-term broadcasting rights to Formula One or risk losing the deal altogether.

CEO of Jaguar Racing and US motor sport legend Bobby Rahal are among a growing list of senior sports industry executives to speak at SportBusiness2001: The Main Event, to take place 18-20 April at the QEII Conference Centre in London, UK.

Europe's biggest media group Bertelsmann AG has opened the way for a possible stock market listing through a share swap deal to take control of Europe's largest television group RTL, the Luxembourg-based owners of Munich-based sports marketing group, UFA Sports.

U.S. network NBC has denied that it was trying to exert pressure to put back the times of events at the 2004 Athens Olympics because of prime time television at home.

The Arena Football League's sales and marketing entity Arena Football League Properties (AFLP) has named Marc Lowitz as vice president of Broadcast, New Media and Business Affairs.

Former French great Eric Cantona has launched a scathing attack on European soccer `s commercial "mafia".

Fuji Xerox has brought some welcome relief to troubled Swiss marketing giant ISL by becoming an official partner of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Digital Sport, the website operator, is in discussions with Sports Network Group, the UK-based boxing promoters owned by Frank Warren, to take a stake in the company.

Motor racing supremo Bernie Ecclestone has defaulted on the $360million payment to the Federation Internationale de l?automobile (FIA) for purchase of long-term broadcasting and other commercial rights to Formula One, according to a report in the Financial Times