Media

German industry sources have said media group EM.TV was close to completing a deal to obtain a majority stake in Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Administration Ltd.

Britain's first online lottery has been launched with a football theme and the backing of top soccer clubs, giving fans the opportunity to choose which club receives the proceeds from each game.

South Africa wants the 2006 soccer World Cup, deserves it and is more than ready to make it work, the country's newspapers declared on Thursday as a crucial FIFA inspection got underway in Johannesburg.

The BBC has secured a five-year deal to keep live Test cricket on BBC Radio.

European soccer champions Manchester United have pushed back the commercial frontiers of sport even further today after a rise in its share price saw it become the first club in the world to be worth more than #1bn ($1.6bn).

A regional court has overturned a 1998 ruling by Italy's Antitrust watchdog that a sports rights accord

The BBC has struck a deal with the US channel TrackPower Inc, giving them the rights to rebroadcast the BBC?s coverage of horseracing at Ascot, Goodwood, Newbury and Haydock racetracks throughout this year.

Interactive betting service Blue Square is to sponsor a entire race meeting at England?s Kempton Park Racecourse later this month.

UK all-sport radio station talkSPORT says it is being `robbed? of ratings after a survey revealed many listeners mistook its broadcasts for that of its rival the BBC.

The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) has teamed up with the International Council of the National Academy of Television and Arts Sciences (NATAS) to present a special breakfast panel on the future of sports broadcasting at this month?s Sportelamerica.

Microsoft is poised to step up its positioning in digital television by joining forces with NDS, which supplies software for pay-TV operators.

US soccer is coming to the German Internet market after DotCom Ventures ? a subsidiary of the Peacock Financial Group ? struck a web co-production agreement with Cyware Media.

One of ISL?s key figures in the marketing of its top soccer properties is to quit to join Quokka Sports, Sport Business can confirm.

Yazaki North America, a supplier of vehicle power and data solutions to the automotive industry, has expanded its involvement in motor sports through a sponsorship agreement with LC Racing.

Luna Corporation, the holding company for the South African sport and media company, SAIL, has acquired 4million ENIC shares worth R56m, in a part share swap deal which gives Richemont SA and the Rembrandt Group a 22% and 14% stake in Luna Corporation.

The Extreme Sports Channel has extended it reach to include the city of Louvain in Belgium.

Kelvin MacKenzie, head of the UK sports radio station Talksport is in talks to buy the newspaper Sport First in a deal that could see the two year-old title valued at more than #15m.

Some 1929 soccer business participants were in Cannes last week for Football Expo 2000, an increase of 60% on the attendance at last year?s Expo.