Media

Britain's leading cable companies NTL and Telewest Communications Plc have held debt restructuring talks with international banking group JP Morgan Chase, according to the UK's Sunday Business newspaper.

London soccer club Arsenal has become the first club to charge visitors to its website to view highlights of its matches.

Canal Plus, the pay-TV unit of media giant Vivendi Universal and Dutch cable network United Pan-Europe Communications (UPC) have confirmed that a merger of their Polish satellite television platforms has taken place.

Betting operations will have to pay a percentage of their revenues to the UK’s Football Data Company, the commercial and licensing division of England’s Premier League and Football Leagues, for the privilege of offering soccer bets, sportbusiness.com has learned.

In recent years, the meteoric rise of technology, telecom and media (TMT) shares on the world's stock markets has changed the face of Formula One sponsorship. The recent downfall in the sector is now hurting the sport as it struggles keep sponsors.

Figures released by national industry organisation Asociacion Brasilena de Telecomunicaciones por Suscripcion (ABTA) have shown that the number of pay-TV subscribers in Brazil rose by 3 percent in this year’s first quarter.

Financial services brand Discover Card has expanded its marketing tie-up with broadcaster ESPN for coverage of US college football.

Digital electronics firm Mitsubishi is to provide host broadcaster CBS with high definition television (HDTV) coverage for the upcoming US Open tennis tournament for the third year running.

US broadcaster Fox Sports World Espanol will broadcast coverage of the Mexican Baseball League for the remainder of 2001 and the whole of the 2002 season.

Columbia’s major soccer division – Division Mayor del Futbol Colombiano – has slapped a fee on media use of goal images scored during matches in local tournament Torneo Copa Mustang for which it owns the broadcasting rights.

Ladbrokes, the UK’s largest bookmaker, has objected to moves from Football Data Company, the commercial and licensing division of England’s Premier League and Football Leagues, to introduce a fee of 2.5-4.75 percent of annual soccer-related turnover to all bookmakers.

Major League Baseball (MLB) team the Cleveland Indians has denied reports that coverage of its matches would only be available on pay-TV platforms next season.

Australian sports fans soon may have to pay to see Australia play cricket in countries other than Britain and a host of other events deemed too unpopular to deserve free-to-air television coverage.

Attheraces, the new name for the Go Racing consortium backed by Arena Leisure, BSkyB and Carlton Communications, has appointed three additional members of the senior management team to supplement last month’s recruitment of marketing director Gavin Bisdee.

Sportsworld Media, the London-based sports marketing group, is rumoured to be on the brink of being appointed as the media and marketing agent for the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).

The enthusiasm for terrestrial digital television was dampened today after Spanish pay-television network Quiero admitted it is facing huge financial problems.