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Sportfive pays about €2 million a year at present and negotiations are ongoing for a new four-year contract, from 2010 to 2013, covering all markets outside the six participating countries.

Excluding the write-down, ITV reported a profit of £167 million, down 41 per cent on 2007.

As part of its plan to deal with cashflow problems, caused by a four-per-cent fall in net advertising revenues – down to £1.425 billion from £1.489 billion in 2007, ITV is to have talks with the England Football Association, Uefa and Fifa about rescheduling its rights fee payments.

As with ITV, Setanta is looking to reschedule its payments as it deals with cashflow problems. It is understood that Setanta has not asked for reduction in its £150 million fee.

In the first instance, the Juzgado No.

Ebitda was €636 million, up 29.8 per cent, excluding costs linked to the merger with the TPS digital satellite platform, completed in early 2008.

Canal Plus had 10.6 million subscribers at year-end in France, its overseas departments and Africa. Fully 80 per cent subscribe to digital services, up from 71 per cent at the end of 2007.

Fueg’s role will be in the area of worldwide hospitality and sponsorship, having been actively responsible for the corporate hospitality at UEFA Euro 2008, as well as at various winter sports events.

Public-service broadcaster TVNZ, commercial channel TV3 and pay-broadcaster Sky TV had made a joint-offer for the rights but are now negotiating separately after the warning from the IRB. A deal is expected later this month, once the tournament venues and schedule has been finalised.

Overall ratings for cable viewers 4 years-old and above increased as much as 160% over last year across the three people-metered markets of Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia.

A new Ficci-KPMG report on the Indian entertainment industry forecasts that by 2013 there would be 149 million TV homes, 85 per cent of which will receive signals via cable and satellite.

The IBU is now in a period of exclusive talks with the EBU, which has made an offer of about €45 million, a 60-per-cent rise on what it pays now. The new deal will cover the worldwide rights for the annual World Cup and World Championship events from the 2010-11 to 2013-14 seasons.