Media

Sportech, the UK-based holding company for gaming giant Littlewoods Leisure, has signed a sponsorship deal with ITV’s interactive soccer coverage for an undisclosed sum.

UK commercial broadcaster ITV has hit back at claims its new English soccer Premier League highlights show was a flop – despite losing out in the ratings to rival BBC1’s Weakest Link show on its debut outing on Saturday night.

Host broadcaster CBS’ coverage of the US PGA Championships recorded disappointing ratings, dropping nearly 40 percent on the previous year due principally to Tiger Woods’ inability to trouble the leaderboard.

Media group Kirch has given into increasing protests and agreed to change its scheduling of the soccer highlights programme to the German Bundesliga after ratings for the show dropped remarkably in its newly allotted later time slot.

Scottish Premier League soccer champions Celtic has struck a deal with online broadcasting specialist Servecast

UK satellite channel SKY Sports has been awarded live rights to the US Open, the world's richest grand slam tennis event, for the next four years.

Boxing fans will have to wait until October to see former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in a boxing ring, despite a previous announcement this week stating that the renowned boxer would fight in September.

The World Wrestling Federation will produce a new two-hour magazine format series, WWF Excess, to anchor broadcaster TNN's new five-hour Saturday night sports and entertainment line-up, "Slammin' Saturday Night”.

US cable network, Black Entertainment Television (BET) is in talks with professional wrestling body Urban Wrestling Alliance (UWA) with regard to a series of weekly shows.

Shares in London Stock Market-listed Sportech Plc, owners of betting and gaming firm Littlewoods Leisure, rose yesterday as it announced a deal for Littlewoods to be the exclusive sponsor of ITV's interactive football coverage.

Nasdaq-listed sporting goods e-commerce company Global Sports has provided guidance for the fourth quarter of 2001 and for the full year 2002 that is significantly better than the current average of analysts' expectations for those periods.

Soccer Australia has forged ahead with its decision to give its primary broadcaster the Seven Network a larger role in the running of the sport by announcing the appointment of senior executive Shane Wood to the Soccer Australia Board.

US Spanish-language network Univision Communications has promoted from within with the appointment of Ray Rodriguez to the new role of president and CEO of the media company.

The government reviews of England’s beleaguered Wembley Stadium and the national athletics stadium at Picketts Lock, both being assessed by former Prison Service director Patrick Carter, will not be available until this Friday and next week respectively.

Pan-american Sports Network (PSN), the pay television sports network in Latin America will offer complete coverage of the US Open tennis from August 27 to September 9.

India's state broadcasting corporation, Prasar Bharti has won exclusive rights to broadcast the first Afro-Asian Games scheduled in New Delhi in November.