Media

The XFL, pro-football presented the way World Wrestling Federation founder Vince McMahon thinks it should be, scored big in the ratings but drew sniggers from critics for its debut NBC broadcast. For the full story see the FEATURES section of sportbusiness.com.

The Williams tennis sisters Venus and Serena have won their cases to evict cyber-squatters from contested domain names, arbitrators have ruled.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of Australia?s greatest sporting venues, has purchased "Event Business Management Software" (EBMS) from St Louis, Missouri?based Ungerboeck Systems, Inc (USI).

Sport, media and Leisure group, Enic has pulled out of its proposed takeover of Gibraltar-based bookmaker Victor Chandler.

Sky, one of the two direct-to-home services available in Latin America, has finally launched its service in Argentina.

XFL made a solid ratings start at the weekend despite some technical glitches in the coverage.

American Anita DeFrantz has officially declared she will be a candidate to succeed Juan Antonio Samaranch as president of the International Olympic Committee, according to local media reports.

The management of troubled EM.TV - which part owns SLEC, Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One holding company - is deeply split over a rescue deal with media group Kirch and a supervisory board meeting on Sunday brought no breakthrough, a source familiar with the situation has said.

The Premier League will sell their overseas rights in separate geographical blocs when the rights come up for negotiation in the next two weeks.

The UK government has repelled efforts by Leo Kirch to get round British legislation that protects every World Cup match from being broadcast on pay-TV.

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.