Media

The 2002 FIFA World Cup will be broadcast on a further two Mexican networks after rights agreements were reached with independent broadcaster CNI and media company Grupo Multimedios.

UK sports and entertainment group CSS Stellar has reported a 75 percent turnover rise in its un-audited preliminary results for the year ended December 31, 2001.

Sponsors of boxing have been granted a new space to display their company name - on the boxers themselves, after endorsement tattoos were given legal approval.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter is to give a lecture at Bocconi University in Milan next week.

Bernie Ecclestone and a group of Formula One car makers are reportedly poised to make a joint bid for the Kirch media group's majority shareholding in the F1 holding company SLEC.

Shares in 365 Corporation, the UK-listed company which last year merged its internet content business with sports website Rivals.net, soared to a three-month high of 13 percent this morning after it said pre-tax losses for the third quarter ending December 31, 2001 narrowed to £8.5million ($12.1/EUR13.8) from £10.2m ($14.6m/EUR16.6m).

Providing seating for up to 600 international media was a major sticking point in New Zealand's dispute over hosting arrangements for the 2003 Rugby World Cup (RWC), an International Rugby Board (IRB) official said yesterday.

Vans, Inc, the global extreme sports brand has renewed its strategic marketing partnerships with three major companies for the Vans Triple Crown Series.

Major League Baseball executive Robert DuPuy is to be named its new president and COO according to US media reports.

The Arena Football League (AFL) - the indoor American Football franchise - has signed an innovative multi-year TV rights deal with terrestrial network NBC.

The investment group set up to handle Major League Soccer and World Cup rights in the US has been named Soccer United Marketing (SUM).

Since TeamTalk's recent decision to charge for web content from April 1, there are now only three sports groups offering free-to-net offerings: Rivals Digital Media, UKbetting and Sports.com, says Chris Reed, marketing director of Rivals Digital.

FIFA's commercial partner is again in financial dire straits, broadcasters are complaining over prices and clubs are struggling to survive as wage demands spiral out of control. Just what is going wrong with the world's number one sport?

The New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU) has delayed its decision on whether or not to co-host next year's World Cup with Australia.

The Australian Grand Prix was broadcast for the first time on the US Formula One Radio Network, following the acqusition last year of the US radio rights of F1 by Detroit-based firm The Craig Company.

Disney-owned free-to-air US network ABC has agreed a TV rights deal for coverage of Formula One races in 2002.