Media

LOS ANGELES: Andrew Gellatly, SportBusiness.com new media editor, reports from the Interactive Sports 2000 conference.

Dr. Richard Luker, founder of the ESPN Sports Poll presented new research at the Interactive Sports 2000 conference in Los Angeles that suggests the internet sports market is "a market place still waiting for people to come through its doors".

First Entertainment, a leading Multimedia Internet Entertainment Company, will stream live video of the PGA Compaq Classic of New Orleans on the company's F2 Sports Network. The live streaming will take place between May 1 - 7 from the English Tern Golf and Country Club in New Orleans.

CNBC, the financial news network, has signed a four-year deal with the PGA Tour to televise 33 Senior PGA Tour events domestically, beginning in 2001.

SportBusiness.com new media editor Andrew Gellatly reports from the Interactive Sports 2000 conference in Los Angeles.

Sportal chief executive Rob Hersov has confirmed yesterday?s Sportbusiness.com report denying claims that Canal Plus has made a buy-out offer for the sports internet company. "Our company sits very well in partnership with the big sports media companies, but there is no offer on the table from Canal Plus," said Hersov.

Sportvision, a leader in sports media technology, has named Larry Novenstern as Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing. Mr. Novenstern joins Sportvision from BBDO Worldwide, the third largest global advertising agency network, where he served as Senior Vice President and Director of Sports Marketing Services.

David Kenin, Former President of CBS Sports has joined SportsPrize.com as Chairman and CEO of SportsPrize Entertainment Inc.

Sportal Ltd., the U.K.-based online sports information company, has denied reports that it will be acquired by Canal Plus? internet unit Numedia. The speculation arose from a report in Saturday's edition of French newspaper Le Figaro, which said that Canal Plus was close to buying Sportal for between $300 million and $400 million.

One day after a Missouri real estate tycoon bought basketball's Denver Nuggets, hockey's Colorado Avalanche and their arena, an angry member of a competing investor group told a local paper they were denied a "fair shot" at the deal.

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.