Media

The Wall Street Journal has added fuel to speculation raised during Sport Business 2000 that stadium naming rights deals are coming to Europe. The newspaper reported: ?At least a dozen European premier division soccer-club owners over the past year have been privately huddling with U.S. fund managers about following the American model of raising corporate sponsorship cash to underwrite the construction of new grounds.?

Pakistani cricket officials have been asked to submit a much-delayed report on match-fixing to a special meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) next week, local media reported today.

David Grouse has been appointed the new head of corporate development at Sportinglife.com.

More than half of Italian soccer fans say that commercialisation is behind the downturn in fortunes experienced by their country's football teams.

The media arm of Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica may lead a European soccer superleague project which would replace the current Champions League format, a company source has said.

Granada Media interactive (GMi), the online advertising division of the Granada Group, has brokered a commercial partnership between Granada and leading digital content provider 365 Corporation.

Enic, the UK-based sports, media and leisure group with controlling interests in European club?s Slavia Prague and Vicenza as well as minority stakes in Glasgow Rangers, FC Basel and AEK Athens, has reported greatly increased half-year profits. The company made substantial gains on player trading, and the sale of part of its holdings in AEK and Autonomy, the new media company.

A new annual international sports awards ceremony will be inaugurated in Monaco on May 25. The Laureus Sports Awards, will be hosted by stars of the entertainment world such as Jeff Bridges, Ashley Judd and Dylan McDermott and will broadcast to a hoped-for global audience of 1 billion viewers.

Basketball?s international governing body, FIBA, and international sports marketing company, ISL Worldwide, have unveiled a new strategy for European basketball. The new concept for 2000 and beyond will give the FIBA Euroleague a completely different look, with a new competitive format, name and visual identity. The move follows the agreement made earlier this year, between FIBA and ISL.

Olympic President Juan Samaranch has admitted that sport federations are ?lost? in relation to forming a coherent internet strategy ? and has invited some 200 sports and media technology officials to Lausanne in November for a world summit on the issue.

Jon Wigley, London ?based Vice President of Marketing for the ATP Tour is to become Managing director of Sports Interactive AG, a joint venture between ISL and Kabel New Media which will manage the online activities of the AP Tour and Tennis Masters Series.

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has agreed a multi-year partnership with car manufacturers Lincoln.

Sportvision, the US-based sports media technology company, has agreed to acquire Coach's Edge, the developer of enhanced computer animation technology for the internet and sports broadcasting.

Media Content has signed a deal with Canal Plus to launch World Wrestling Federation Entertainment in France.

Sportsworld Media, the Australia-based sports programming and marketing company, has completed its #50m recommended offer for Sports and Outdoor Media International (SOMI) now that the acquisition has been declared wholly unconditional, reports the Financial Times.

The Formula One racing teams have denied Bernie Ecclestone his wish that conversations between drivers in the pits should be broadcast live on the sport?s digital TV channel.