Media

Following press speculation earlier this week that telecommunications firm BT were in the frame for Premier League rights, today's proposed merger of UK media giants, Carlton and United News and Media, adds another twist to the plot of potential bidders.

Pep Boys auto-parts retailer has ended its sponsorship of The Indy Racing League (IRL) in a dispute which is likely to go to federal court.

Greg Norman, the PGA Tour's all-time leading money winner, and Mammothgolf.com, the Internet's leading golf e-tailer, have formed an extensive golf-related commerce and content partnership.

Australian newspaper reports say that plans to allow sightseers free entry into Sydney Olympic Park during the 2000 Games have displeased giant American television broadcaster NBC. NBC Sports head Dick Ebersol indicated yesterday he was not happy about the Homebush Bay Olympic site being turned into a "party and picnic" area for the Games. Ebersol, whose network is spending $1 billion to broadcast the Olympics, said he would have preferred the site closed to non-ticketholders at least during the first week of competition.

Hong Kong police say they have smashed eight bookmaking syndicates betting illegally on European soccer matches and arrested 37 people.

Internet giant Sportal is on the verge of signing a $11m sponsorship deal with UEFA?s Euro 2000 soccer championships, according to industry reports.

Media firms have offered the German Football Federation (DFB) 50 million marks for Internet rights alone for broadcasting soccer matches from mid-2000 until 2003, according to a report in Focus magazine.

Princeton Video Image (PVI) has announced it will insert virtual advertisements for several sponsors in the international feed of NFL Super Bowl XXXIV on January 30 from the Atlanta Georgia Dome.

Total spectator attendance at the Nagano Winter Olympic sports events was 1,275,929, according to figures issued by the International Olympic Committee. A further 167,200 attended victory ceremonies.

Sports management groups in Australia say that sponsorship dollars are harder to come by because they are being siphoned off to Olympic contracts, the Australian Financial review reports.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) have signed an agreement with Israeli broadcaster JCS (Jersulem Capital Sports), to broadcast more than 70 NBA games and 20 WNBA games over the next two seasons.

Princeton Video Image Inc (PVI) has signed an agreement with ESPN, the international sports broadcaster, to use their virtual advertising system during the 1998 X Games.

The NFL?s Philadelphia Eagles have signed virtual advertising company Imadgine Video Systems for its pre season games.

Sydney 2000 Olympics organisers have said the cost of staging the Games had blown up by A$150 million (US$90 million), largely because of an increase in the number of events.

Sports equipment group Adidas said it had benefited from the 1998 soccer World Cup but added that in future only official sponsors should have international commercial rights.

British Horseracing received a boost when the Horserace Betting Levy Board's Annual Report announced a growth of more than one percent in betting turnover on racing in 1997/8.