North America
DISNEY TO BUY EUROPEAN SPORTS CHANNEL
US media group Disney is to acquire the North American Sports Network in a bid to expand the reach of its ESPN channels.
MEIJER SPONSORS ANDRETTI GREEN RACING
Retail company Meijer agreed a deal to sponsor the Andretti Green Racing team for the 2007 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series season.
NFL TO OFFER FIRST LIVE WEBCASTS
The NFL is set to provide live web broadcasts of its own NFL Network's Thursday and Saturday matches to Verizon's Fios and DirecTV television and Internet subscribers.
LACROSSE LEAGUE TARGETS INTERNATIONAL TV
The National Lacrosse League appointed Crocmedia to manage and expand the league’s TV distribution worldwide.
US FIGURE SKATING AND MLB MEDIA SIGN DEAL
US Figure Skating and MLB Advanced Media, LP, the interactive media and internet company of Major League Baseball, agreed a multi-year venture to develop US Figure Skating’s interactive media properties.
BANK OF AMERICA BECOMES OFFICIAL BANK OF NASCAR
The Bank of America agreed a deal to add US stock car racing series Nascar to its portfolio of sports sponsorships.
MLS TEAM STRIKES FIRST SHIRT SPONSORSHIP DEAL
Major League Soccer franchise Real Salt Lake is set to become the first US sports team to sign an individual shirt-sponsorship deal.
BRIDGESTONE PULLS CHAMP CAR SPONSORSHIP
Bridgestone-Firestone said it will no longer be the presenting sponsor of US motor racing’s Champ Car World Series but will remain the sole tire supplier for the open-wheel racing series.
MLB CONSIDERS CHINA IN 2008
The MLB said that it was considering opening the 2008 MLB season in China, ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
FOX AND TBS BASEBALL DEALS APPROVED UNTIL 2013
Major League Baseball owners unanimously approved television deals worth $3 billion with Fox and TBS that run until 2013.
NIELSEN EXTENDS SPONSORSHIP SCORECARD TO BASKETBALL
Nielsen Sports has extended its Sponsorship Scorecard to NBA basketball, signing up the Phoenix Suns for the system to measure brand exposure.
TSN GIVEN GO-AHEAD FOR DIGITAL SPORTS CHANNEL
Canadian broadcaster TSN has received approval for a second digital channel from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, (CRTC), the federal broadcast regulator.
NEW YORK METS SIGN CITIGROUP SPONSORSHIP DEAL
Major League Baseball’s New York Mets agreed a record-breaking deal with financial services company Citigroup Inc. for the naming rights for the team’s new stadium.
IAAF AGREES BROADCAST DEAL FOR THE USA
Athletics’ world governing body, the IAAF agreed a new TV rights deal in the USA that gives the sport significantly more coverage, via a combination of free-to-air, cable and internet TV agreements.
NHL AGREES DEAL WITH GOOGLE
The National Hockey League's digital arm has agreed to provide videos of full-length games to Google Video.
WASSERMAN MEDIA GROUP ACQUIRES SFX SPORTS GROUP
Wasserman Media Group, a US sports and entertainment management, marketing and content company, completed the acquisition of the football, rugby, marketing and events divisions of SFX Sports Group, Europe.
TAJ TV TO PRODUCE CRICKET FOR DIRECTV IN THE US
Taj TV agreed a deal with US satellite TV provider DIRECTV to produce its new Cricket Plus Channel.
RED BULL SAYS STARS WOULD LIFT US SOCCER
Red Bull GmbH anticipates the arrival in the US of top European football stars that it expects will lift interest in the sport.