Media

English Premier League soccer club Leeds United have signed a new kit sponsorship deal with Nike.

The price of a 30 second commercial spot for this season's Super Bowl telecast has risen by 25% to a record $2 million, according to advertising buyers quoted by Associated Press.

Fox Sports Net and Southwest Sports Group, the Dallas-based sports and entertainment company controlled by Tom Hicks, have entered into a comprehensive long-term broadcast partnership agreement that will keep the Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars and American League West Division Champion Texas Rangers on Fox Sports Net Southwest and add the Mesquite Championship Rodeo to the network's programming line-up.

Bally Total Fitness Holding Corp., has bought six George Brown fitness centres in Fresno, California and one club in the San Francisco area, expanding the fitness company's presence in California.

Adam Crozier, boss of advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, is set to become the English FA?s new chief executive, according to press reports.

BSkyB has made England's top clubs an offer of #1bn for the exclusive rights to Premier League football for the next three years, according to today's Financial Times.

Ascent Entertainment Group Inc. has said it has extended to November 15 its agreement to sell its sports-related businesses, including the Denver basketball and hockey teams, to Denver billionaire Donald Sturm's Sturm Group.

England's Premier League has became the first domestic competition in world soccer to authorise an on-line betting system.

Some Internet companies are paying more to advertise on January's Super Bowl telecast than they have generated in revenue and have helped push the average commercial price to a record of about $2 million.

Scott Ehrlich, formerly the senior vice president and executive producer at News Corporation's News Digital Media, producer of FOXnews.com, FOXsports.com and FOX.com, has joined Rivals.com, the world's largest network of sports team and sports specialty channel Web sites.

English Premier League soccer club Sunderland Plc has announced pay TV giant BSkyB was buying five percent of the company for #6.5 million ($10.50m).

Citizens Capital Corp, a holding company which acquires and/or develops operating entities, has announced that its SCOR Brands Inc. subsidiary has signed a three-year sponsorship and marketing agreement to become the official basketball shoe and apparel company of the United States Basketball League.

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has signed a new agreement with ISL Worldwide.

IT Capital Ltd, a New Zealand venture capital concern and private investor Lindsay Fergusson, have paid NZ$1.9 million for a 68% stake in Virtual Spectator Ltd, the web site established to deliver real-time footage from the Louis Vuitton Cup, the challenger series for yachting's America's Cup.

NTL, the $14.4bn cable and communications company, is lining up a #1bn bid for exclusive Premier League football rights, according to the UK's Sunday Business newspaper.

Concerned about the commercialisation of soccer, the government launched "Supporters Direct" on Thursday to provide legal and financial advice and grants to set up organisations to campaign for a greater say in clubs.