Media

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 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.

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?.

SOCOG staff were not incompetent, despite making ticketing errors that cost the Games $76 million in revenue, organisers said yesterday.

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.

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.

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.

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.