Sponsorship & Marketing

The programming costs of the UK?s digital terrestrial sports channel ITV Sport will hinder the share performance of the network?s owners Granada and Carlton Communications, according to a research report from leading broker Merrill Lynch.

Global spending on sponsorship of sports websites has reached $453 million according to a new report published jointly by SportBusiness Information Resources and Sponsorship Research International (SRi)

Members of Real Madrid have voted to approve the club's plan to sell its city-centre training facilities in order to clear its huge debts of more than $250 million.

Utilities firm npower will not be renewing its second-tier sponsorship deal with the FA Premiership next season after the league demanded a minimum three-year commitment.

A court in the Swiss town of Zug declared the Swiss sports rights marketing firm ISMM-ISL officially bankrupt on Monday after French media group Vivendi Universal last week withdrew a rescue offer.

ZOO Digital, the UK-based company that helps brands optimise financial returns for their sponsoring rights, has bought digital marketing firm Startle Digital for an undisclosed sum.

Granada Enterprises is lining up six companies, including Coca-Cola, to bid for sponsorship of UK-based broadcaster ITV's coverage of English Premier League soccer should the league's new title sponsor, Barclaycard, turn down the rights. The other five companies involved in a potential bid for the TV rights have not been disclosed.

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.

French and German media giants Vivendi Universal and Bertelsmann are understood to have agreed a deal with Swiss marketing company ISL whereby they jointly acquire the financially crippled firm for the nominal sum of one Swiss franc.

FIFA has set up its own marketing company as fears grow for the future of the ISMM Group ? and said it will give the Kirch Group first refusal on TV rights for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups if ISL?s parent company fails to prevent bankruptcy.

Octagon Marketing has expanded its team to enhance their music and entertainment offerings.

Sportswear giants Nike denied before a Congressional commission of inquiry on Wednesday that they interfere in the picking of the Brazilian national soccer team, which they sponsor.

Jaguar's plans to move their Formula One headquarters to Silverstone are on hold and the team is looking at other sites, team boss Bobby Rahal has said.

Juventus has launched an Asian marketing and merchandising drive, which the Italian soccer club hopes will earn up to $40 million over three years.

A small Utah software company is keen to find a distributor, while a biomedical firm needs a partner and both hope they can meet with international companies at next year's Winter Olympics.

The NFL?s Philadelphia Eagles and Major League Baseball?s Phillies are upbeat about their prospects of securing lucrative naming rights deal for their new facilities.