Media

UK online betting and content provider Sports Internet has confirmed that it is in talks with an unnamed party which may lead to an offer being made for the company, reports Dow Jones International News.

ESPN.com has teamed up with Winnercomm and NTRA Productions to provide visitors to ESPN.com with expanded web coverage of horse racing.

The German Football Federation (DFB) has signed a lucrative deal with German media group Kirch under which all Bundesliga matches would be shown live on pay-TV or pay-per-view for the first time from next season.

Internet company Virtual World of Sports has secured a Au$9.2 million three-year naming rights sponsorship deal with The Australian Ladies Masters golf tournament. The sponsorship ensures that the tournament stays at Royal Pines on Australia?s Gold Coast until at least 2003.

Italian media mogul Vittorio Cecchi Gori has sold his 18% stake in the country's digital platform Stream to Rupert Murdoch?s News Corps and Telecom Italia. The 12% stake in Stream held by soccer consortium SDS, has also been sold. As a consequence, News Corp and Telecom Italia, each have a 50% stake in the pay-TV operator.

LOS ANGELES: Andrew Gellatly, SportBusiness.com new media editor, reports from the Interactive Sports 2000 conference.

LOS ANGELES: Andrew Gellatly, SportBusiness.com new media editor, reports from the Interactive Sports 2000 conference.

Jim McManus has been appointed vice president, motorsports, at sports events signage and banner provider Britten Media.

The turbulent stock market may be creating funding problems for the big sports web site players as they continue to burn through cash, but Rivals.com general manager Scott Ehrlich argues that sports community niche sites will prosper because they can market themselves using the already existing connections and affinities between fans and groups of sports participants.

LOS ANGELES: Andrew Gellatly, SportBusiness.com new media editor, reports from the Interactive Sports 2000 conference.

Dr. Richard Luker, founder of the ESPN Sports Poll presented new research at the Interactive Sports 2000 conference in Los Angeles that suggests the internet sports market is "a market place still waiting for people to come through its doors".

First Entertainment, a leading Multimedia Internet Entertainment Company, will stream live video of the PGA Compaq Classic of New Orleans on the company's F2 Sports Network. The live streaming will take place between May 1 - 7 from the English Tern Golf and Country Club in New Orleans.

CNBC, the financial news network, has signed a four-year deal with the PGA Tour to televise 33 Senior PGA Tour events domestically, beginning in 2001.

SportBusiness.com new media editor Andrew Gellatly reports from the Interactive Sports 2000 conference in Los Angeles.

Sportal chief executive Rob Hersov has confirmed yesterday?s Sportbusiness.com report denying claims that Canal Plus has made a buy-out offer for the sports internet company. "Our company sits very well in partnership with the big sports media companies, but there is no offer on the table from Canal Plus," said Hersov.

Sportvision, a leader in sports media technology, has named Larry Novenstern as Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing. Mr. Novenstern joins Sportvision from BBDO Worldwide, the third largest global advertising agency network, where he served as Senior Vice President and Director of Sports Marketing Services.