Australia
COLONIAL STADIUM FLOTATION PLANS HIT
An early flotation of shares in Melbourne?s troubled Colonial Stadium looks less likely according to reports which say revenues are lower than expected while costs are up.
AUDIOFINA, CLT-UFA AND PEARSON TELEVISION TO MERGE
On the day that News Corps and Vivendi have proposed a joint shareholding of their digital businesses, European media big-hitters Bertelsmann, Groupe Bruxelles Lambert and Pearson (PTV) have agreed to merge CLT-UFA, Europe's leading commercial television and radio broadcaster, with Pearson Television, the independent television production company.
AUSTRALIA?S NETWORK TEN INVESTS ONLINE
Australia?s Network Ten and Village Roadshow have taken a 25% stake in iSport, the Internet sports company that provides sporting organisations access to its online sports platform, iSport Advantage.
SPONSOR BOOST FROM SOCOG
Complaints from Olympic sponsors that they were not getting full value for their spend have been addressed after SOCOG announced it was to spend US$650,000 to increase the recognition of its corporate backers.
TICKETS.COM GET OLYMPIC DEAL
The 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City is to be the first in Olympic Games history to offer realtime ordering of tickets over the Internet and online ticket auctions.
10 CITIES BID FOR 2008 OLYMPICS
The IOC has confirmed that ten cities have submitted preliminary bids for the 2008 Summer Games.
OLYMPIC SPONSORS LOOK ONLINE FOR ADDED VALUE
Sydney 2000 Olympic sponsors will begin advertising on the first ever commercial Olympic Games internet site from next month.
STIFF WARNING OVER CRICKET BOOKIES
Pakistan cricket authorities, keen to try to exorcise the spectre of match-fixing allegations, have told Sharjah Cup organisers they will not come to Sharjah again if they see bookmakers approaching the team.
ICC SET TO APPROVE PORTABLE PITCH
The International Cricket Council hopefully will approve the use of a portable pitch for international one day games after a trial match in late November, New Zealand Cricket has said.
TICKET TAX FOR PREMIUM GAMES SEATS
Australian Prime Minister John Howard has confirmed that the Aussie government planned to apply its new 10 percent consumption tax to Sydney 2000 Olympics tickets sold at inflated prices to the wealthy.
NIKE REPLACES REEBOK AS OLYMPIC SPONSOR
Nike, SOCOG and the Australian Olympic committee have concluded discussions which will lead to an agreement between Nike and SOCOG for Nike to become a SOCOG sponsor.
MORE OLYMPIC CUTS LIKELY
Sydney's chief Olympic organiser has predicted more spending cuts for the 2000 Games despite a likely injection of around A$100 million (US$66 million) into the Games' operating budget.
GAMES GO HI-TECH
The Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) has foreshadowed an efficient, workable display of technology for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, to avoid repeating the extravagant debacles of the Atlanta 1996 Games.
OLYMPICS-DRUGS WARNING FOR SYDNEY 2000 GAMES
The Sydney 2000 Olympics are in danger of becoming the
MELBOURNE $65M ARENA GETS GREEN LIGHT
The Victorian Premier, Jeff Kennett, has announced that a $A65.4m "super stadium" would be constructed in Melbourne's Yarra Park precinct, in time for the 2000 Australian Tennis Open.
VISA WARNS AGAINST CHEAP TICKET SUBSIDIES
One of the Sydney Games' major sponsors, Visa, has warned that it will vigorously campaign against moves to make sponsors provide substantial subsidies for low-priced tickets.
SPORTS AND OUTDOOR MEDIA FLOTATION RAISES #3.2M
The recently formed Sports and Outdoor Media International Plc will be valued at #23.4m when it floats on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in London.
MELBOURNE TO GET TRAINING VELODROME
The government of Victoria, Australia, is to build an A$5million indoor-training velodrome in the suburbs to complement its $65million multi-purpose velodrome planned for Melbourne Park.