Media

The Walt Disney Company is to close its trio of ESPN Stores, thereby ending company's two-year-old venture into sports retailing.

The beleaguered organisers of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games have suffered a second blow in two days when the official broadcaster suspended its advertising contract.

The world's richest man, Bill Gates, plans to offer #1billion ($1.6bn) to secure television rights for England's Premier League soccer, a Singapore newspaper quoted Football Association (FA) commercial director Phil Carling as saying.

CSI has extended its television rights contract with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.

Manchester United has suffered lower than expected take up for its subscription television channel MUTV in the UK and has withdrawn the cable version of the supporters' channel.

Toyota has confirmed that the company will withdraw from the rallying world championship at the end of this season.

Searching for new customers and talented employees beyond major U.S. Internet centres, Web portal Go2Net Inc. has launched a marketing campaign at major college football stadiums.

Sportal, the Internet sports company, has agreed a five-year deal with the South Africa Rugby Football Union (SARFU) and South African investment company SAIL Media to develop www.sarfu.org.za, the official South Africa rugby site.

The first live webcast of an international football match will take place tomorrow for the European Championship play-off between Scotland and England.

Shares in SportsLine USA, the online sports site part-owned by CBS, surged following last week's long-term acquisition of NCAA rights by CBS.

English Premier League club Manchester United remain the world's richest soccer club but Spanish and Italian rivals could overtake them soon as the gap between the top clubs starts to close, according to a financial survey published today.

Superbowl.com, the NFL's official Super Bowl site, has gone live.

Expensive plans to modernise the famed Hockenheim motor racing track have been unveiled but still need to be approved at the highest level.

San Diego and the city's professional baseball team have filed separate lawsuits to try to quash a proposed ballot initiative that seeks a second vote on a $1 billion ballpark and redevelopment project.

Representatives from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will visit Athens on January 26 and 27 to discuss preparations for the 2004 Summer Games, an Athens 2004 official has said.

United Utlities has struck a deal with the organisers of the 2002 Commonwealth Games to become a key sponsor.