Media

The NBA and TSN, Canada?s most watched sports network, have extended their television agreement for another two years. The new contract will include 26 regular-season games - at least eight featuring Canadian teams - and 18 playoff games.

Americans will see no live television coverage of the Sydney Olympics because of an 18 hour time difference between the two nations, NBC television officials were quoted as telling the Los Angeles Times.

Bobby Robson, the Newcastle United - and former England - manager, has been named non-executive director of a Sunday newspaper publisher devoted to non?league football, reports the Financial Times.

One month before soccer?s Euro 2000 tournament kicks-off, supporters have the opportunity to snap up merchandise from the official online store.

Video services company Charlson Broadcast Technologies (CBT) has concluded a buyout with Spector Entertainment, allowing CBT to acquire a number of the video service contract rights and related assets, including production equipment, including those to Churchill Downs, the Louisville Sports Spectrum, Hoosier Park at Anderson, the Indiana Sports Spectrums and the off-track betting facilities managed by Kentucky Off-Track Betting Inc.

British Sky Broadcasting has posted its fourth quarterly loss in a row. Unveiling its third quarter results, BSkyB said it slipped into a pre-tax loss of 28.4 million pounds from a profit of 16 million due to heavy subscriber acquisition costs which helped lift digital sales to 3.4 million customers.

The Portland Trail Blazers have received criticism from basketball fans for showing Game 2 of the playoff series against Utah on pay-per-view at a cost $24.95. The game was broadcast nationally by the TNT cable channel, and blacked out within a 35-mile radius of downtown Portland. Responding to the criticism Harry Hut, the Blazers Senior vice-president for marketing said: ``People get the idea there's an obligation on the part of the team to televise a game, but there isn't.? The team, he said, wants ``to protect the home gate ... to provide a sold-out crowd atmosphere'' at the Rose Garden. However, Sunday's Game 1 of the series against the Jazz, shown on NBC, attracted a capacity crowd of 20,351.

The Premier League is to consider a TV rights auction after 75 requests were received for the tender document when the deadline for the broadcasters? initial bids passed yesterday. The number of bids for the next three-year deal was even more than the Premier League had originally anticipated.

The European Broadcasting Union, the association of Europe?s public service broadcasters, said it is satisfied at a decision by the European Commission authorising the joint acquisition and sharing of sports rights by EBU members in the framework of Eurovision.

FirstEntertainment, the multimedia internet entertainment company, has signed a sponsorship agreement with Team USA for the Trans-Atlantic Rowing Race to be held in October 2001.

Ajax Amsterdam has taken a majority stake in Belgian first division side Germinal Beerschot of Antwerp.

Bids for the new English Premier League broadcast contract must be submitted today, with analysts suggesting the deal could break the #2bn ($3,2bn) mark.

British satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting has agreed an all-share offer for Sports Internet Group which values the company at around #300million ($460 million).

An $10.5m tourist attraction endorsed by the English Football Association and the Premier League is to close after just 12 months due to poor visitor numbers.

The Australian government has said it expected this year's Sydney Olympics to give the economy a boost in the September quarter, adding about one percentage point to gross domestic product and cutting the current account deficit.

Turner Network Television (TNT) will televise the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards. The awards ceremony, a gala to celebrate sporting excellence across all disciplines and all continents, has been established by DaimlerChrysler and Richemont. The awards will be taped in Monte Carlo on Thursday, May 25.