Media
Events

The Portland Trail Blazers have received criticism from basketball fans for showing Game 2 of the playoff series against Utah on pay-per-view at a cost $24.95. The game was broadcast nationally by the TNT cable channel, and blacked out within a 35-mile radius of downtown Portland. Responding to the criticism Harry Hut, the Blazers Senior vice-president for marketing said: ``People get the idea there's an obligation on the part of the team to televise a game, but there isn't.? The team, he said, wants ``to protect the home gate ... to provide a sold-out crowd atmosphere'' at the Rose Garden. However, Sunday's Game 1 of the series against the Jazz, shown on NBC, attracted a capacity crowd of 20,351.
Business

The Premier League is to consider a TV rights auction after 75 requests were received for the tender document when the deadline for the broadcasters? initial bids passed yesterday. The number of bids for the next three-year deal was even more than the Premier League had originally anticipated.
Business

The European Broadcasting Union, the association of Europe?s public service broadcasters, said it is satisfied at a decision by the European Commission authorising the joint acquisition and sharing of sports rights by EBU members in the framework of Eurovision.
Business

FirstEntertainment, the multimedia internet entertainment company, has signed a sponsorship agreement with Team USA for the Trans-Atlantic Rowing Race to be held in October 2001.
Media

Ajax Amsterdam has taken a majority stake in Belgian first division side Germinal Beerschot of Antwerp.
Business

Bids for the new English Premier League broadcast contract must be submitted today, with analysts suggesting the deal could break the #2bn ($3,2bn) mark.
Business

British satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting has agreed an all-share offer for Sports Internet Group which values the company at around #300million ($460 million).
Media

An $10.5m tourist attraction endorsed by the English Football Association and the Premier League is to close after just 12 months due to poor visitor numbers.
Events

The Australian government has said it expected this year's Sydney Olympics to give the economy a boost in the September quarter, adding about one percentage point to gross domestic product and cutting the current account deficit.
Events

Turner Network Television (TNT) will televise the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards. The awards ceremony, a gala to celebrate sporting excellence across all disciplines and all continents, has been established by DaimlerChrysler and Richemont. The awards will be taped in Monte Carlo on Thursday, May 25.
Business

Sportingbet.com, the Channel Islands-based bookmaker, has acquired Betmaker.com, a Costa Rica-based internet gambling site, in a deal worth about #15million, reports the Financial Times.
Media

NBC ratings for the NBA play-off series have shown an improvement on the previous weekend but are still down on last year.
Media

Organisers of Euro2000 are using a similar ticketing system to the last soccer World Cup in France, whereby ticket holders will have the name of the buyer printed on the ticket. In theory, the name must tally with the fan turning up at the ground. Police will also be checking to see if a ticket purchaser has a hooligan record.
Business

Britain's Football News Organisation, a young firm that provides an online "form guide" for UK football punters, has said it plans to list on the London stock market after next season kicked off.
Events

UK-based on-line sports content company Global Cyber Sports.com (GCSC) has reached an agreement with ITV?s Granada Television to place the banner of the GCSC Ferrari clothing e-commerce site on Granada?s Formula 1 site www.itv.f1.com.
Business

English soccer?s Premier League clubs earned record revenues during 1998/99 but saw profits slump by more than a half.
Business

Legislators are poised to approve next week a total loss to taxpayers of $945 million for hosting the 2006 Asian Games in Hong Kong along with an event for disabled athletes.
Events

Fox Sports International has launched a new all-sports channel for Central and Eastern Europe.