Media

The future of European basketball?s premier club competition is in disarray following the chaos caused by the recent rejection of reunification proposals between rival organisers ULEB and FIBA.

Chairman of bankrupt International Sports Media and Marketing (ISMM) Christoph Malms denied in a Swiss Sunday newspaper article any suggestions by FIFA president Sepp Blatter that ISMM may have improperly diverted funds paid to it by Brazil's TV Globo.

English Premier League soccer club Everton will have to sell players before making any new signings after a major media deal collapsed, the club's deputy chairman and main financial backer Bill Kenwright has revealed.

The ever-increasing cost of sports rights is forcing potential bidders to look at new ways to raise money, according to broadcast analysts responding to the merger of RTL Group, Vivendi Universal and Groupe Jean-Claude Darmon.

Racecourse and media group Arena Leisure Plc will close its #85m ($122m) fundraising a week earlier than originally planned, according to UK press reports.

UK online sports companies will continue to struggle in the coming years - even with the extra revenue benefits from online gambling, according to a new report.

Spain?s Sogecable added 96,000 subscriptions to its digital channel Canal Satellite in the first quarter of 2001 to take its total to 1,148,072, an improvement of 30.7 percent over the last 12 months.

Cable operators NTL and Telewest are to work more closely together with the aim to compete more effectively with Europe?s second-largest pay-TV broadcaster BSkyB.

Sportscity, the Singaporean dedicated sports channel, is to be shut down, becoming the first high-profile victim of the deregulation of the national broadcasting market.

French media giants Vivendi Universal will pay ISMM?s worldwide salaries while it works to take over the troubled Swiss marketing firm, a leaked ISMM memo obtained by sportbusiness.com reveals.

Wireless Group, the owners of Kelvin McKenzie?s TalkSport radio station said losses for the year to December 31 2000 widened to #34.2 million ($49.3m) from #27.5m ($39.7m). Operating losses at TalkSport widened by #200,000 to #7.9m. Despite the losses, McKenzie said it had been a good year for the company, especially for TalkSport which saw its advertising market rise by 15 per cent.

KirchMedia has taken `full and sole control? of HBS, the host broadcasting company for soccer?s 2002 World Cup in the light of the financial crisis at ISL.

The European Union's executive Commission has cleared new UEFA broadcasting rules allowing national soccer associations to block televised live soccer matches during key weekend fixture periods.

Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) has forecast total revenues of approximately $75 - $78 million for the year 2001 and a pre-tax profit for the year expected to be approximately 32 per cent of total revenues.

One of the world?s most valuable sport stars of all time, Michael Jordan is set to return to the NBA next season, according to press reports.

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) is reviewing Perth?s future as an international venue, placing in doubt the Tri-Nations test between Australia and South Africa scheduled for August.