Media
CELTIC DIRECTOR FANS ATLANTIC LEAGUE FLAMES
Celtic could soon leave the Scottish Premier League and join a new Atlantic League aimed at leading clubs who dominate Europe's second tier competitions, a club spokesman has said.
NEWS CORP/LIBERTY TARGETS EASTERN EUROPE
News Corp and Liberty Media has announced that its joint venture Fox Sports International is to launch a sports television channel targeting viewers in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.
WWF REACHES FOR THE SKY IN NEW DEAL
WWF Entertainment has signed a new five-year deal with UK satellite and digital channels Sky Sports and Sky One set to generate more than $35m in revenues.
EUBANK’S NEXT FOR THE MEDIA MARKET
Ex-boxer Chris Eubank is joining a select group of former UK professional sportsmen to make a second career as media celebrities. Eubank?s lawyer, Mel Goldberg, explains how a starring role a new Nescafe TV commercial, is just the start of a new career in film, media and advertising. See `FEATURES?.
COATES DEFENDS SOCOG STAFF OVER TICKETING ERRORS.
SOCOG staff were not incompetent, despite making ticketing errors that cost the Games $76 million in revenue, organisers said yesterday.
PATHE BUYS REMAINING SHARES FROM GROUPE AB
French media group, Groupe AB, has decided to exercise its option to sell its remaining 49% stake in Pathe Sport to Pathe. The transaction will generate a capital gain of FF 38.7 million for Groupe AB in the first six months of 2000.
CLUB HIT BY ILLEGAL BETTING SAYS CHIEF EXEC
Illegal gambling is siphoning an alarming amount of cash from Hong Kong horse racing, weakening the Jockey Club's grip on the sport, the club's chief executive has warned.
UEFA LOOK AT SALARY CAPPING
European soccer governing body UEFA is to examine a possible US-style salary cap to keep under control the spiralling wages of Europe?s top soccer stars.
SOCCER CLUB SIGNS $19m DEAL WITH NIKE
English Premier League soccer club Leeds United have signed a new kit sponsorship deal with Nike.
COST HIKE FOR SUPER BOWL AD-TIME
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 PARTNERS SOUTHWEST SPORTS GROUP
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 FITNESS EXPANDS IN CALIFORNIA
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.
CROZIER TIPPED AS NEW FA BOSS
Adam Crozier, boss of advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, is set to become the English FA?s new chief executive, according to press reports.
SKY BID #1BN FOR PREMIER LEAGUE RIGHTS
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 SALE AGREEMENT EXTENDED
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.
PREMIER LEAGUE GIVE OK TO ONLINE BETTING
England's Premier League has became the first domestic competition in world soccer to authorise an on-line betting system.
DOT COMS PUSH SUPER BOWL PRICES SKY HIGH
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.
RIVALS.COM HIRES FOX SENIOR EXECUTIVE
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.