United Kingdom
F1’s TV season is saved by last five races for title
Formula One television viewing rose in four out of the five top European television markets this year, according to a survey by TV Sports Markets. Germany was the exception.
Rugby league’s long balancing act
The Rugby Football League is considering a new offer from satellite operator British Sky Broadcasting, for £48m (€69m) over five years, covering the rights to the Super League and all international ma…
New takeover threat to Man Utd
Irish businessmen JP McManus and John Magnier, through investment vehicle Cubic Expression, bought British Sky Broadcasting’s 9.9-per-cent stake in Premier League club Manchester United for £62m (€88.9m).
Government approves ITV merger
The UK government approved a £4.5bn (€6.4bn) merger of Carlton and Granada, commercial broadcaster ITV’s two biggest companies. It
UK U-turn over sport getting special protection
Government denies change of position was in response to Premier League lobbying
Only a decent TV deal can save British Open
A show of sporting solidarity by world's top squash players saved this year's event, after prize money fell to half last year's level
Premier League suffers big fall in value of mobile-rights
Mobile content is not attracting customers to switch networks
BSkyB win will hit smaller sports
Sky will be able to fill schedules with extra top-class football
Premier League row with EC could lead to TV black-out
League resisting pressue to re-tender live rights
BBC faces ‘root and branch’ review
The UK government ordered a “root and branch” review of the BBC’s role and financing ahead of the expiry of its royal charter in 2006.
Ball quits BSkyB, Murdoch son tipped
Tony Ball, the highly successful chief executive of satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting, is leaving the company after four years in charge. Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corporation owns a 35.
Premier League lifts viewing by 120,000 a game
Television audiences for BSkyB live coverage of first 12 matches
Top clubs will get more power and cash in Europe
Clubs want a joint venture between themselves and Uefa to run the commercial side of club competitions
Man Utd bids for 242 games
BSkyB, ITV, Telewest also bid
Survival thoughts but no TV for new ice hockey league
UK ice hockey "a mess"
How EC might push changes on Premier League
If commission finds BSkyB rivals did not bid because packages were too large, it could tell league to re-tender rights
BSkyB heads for 7m subscribers
UK pay-television operator British Sky Broadcasting said that it expected to hit its year-end target of seven million subscribers “within weeks” after reporting a pre-tax profit for the first time sin…
BSkyB sticks with ppv, after high bid for 3rd package
Chief Exec says at least half of 62 third- and fourth-choice package matches will be on ppv