World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) have revealed they have hit their ambitious mark of breaking its record TV audience and exceeding 500 million viewers worldwide.

This goal was achieved, doctor according to the final report issued by IFM, story the Germany-based sports research firm.

In 2012, therapy  144 TV channels aired at least one of the WTCC events and this amounted to 1081 hours of broadcasting hours.

A total of 512 million viewers watched WTCC on TV, which represented a 12% increase compared to 2011 figures.

Ulrich Lacher, Managing Director of IFM, explained: “Despite the Olympics and Euro 2012, WTCC – unlike many other series – increased in audiences and overall impact again. It showed a healthy increase, continuing the trend from previous years. We reckon that the growing popularity is a result of the good TV distribution of the series, whichexpanded beyond pan-continental broadcasters like Eurosport and Star Sports.”

Antonios Argyropoulos, Head of Media Rights Distribution, Eurosport Events, commented: “WTCC achieved another record and exceeded the mark of half-billion viewers. The championship’s TV coverage included regular programming in Europe, the Americas, Japan and the Asia-Pacific regions through 144 broadcasters and reached 180 countries around the world. This proved that WTCC it is not only an entertaining sporting show, but also a powerful communication platform, thanks to quality programmes and extensive television coverage.”

The PGA of America has promoted Keith Reese, the longtime PGA head professional at historic Valhalla Golf Club, in Louisville, Ky., to the role of General Manager.

Reese will oversee the facility’s operations, memberships and staff, as Valhalla prepares to host the 96th PGA Championship in 2014.

Reese, the 2008 Kentucky PGA Section Golf Professional of the Year and the Section’s PGA Merchandiser of the Year for Private Facilities in 1999, 2000 and 2001, has served Valhalla for nearly 25 years as PGA head professional and originally as PGA first assistant professional. He will manage all aspects of the club, including its activities and relations with its members, guests, employees, community, government and industry.

Regularly ranked as one of “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses” by Golf Digest, Valhalla Golf Club is owned and operated by The PGA of America. Valhalla has hosted the 1996 and 2000 PGA Championship, 2008 Ryder Cup, 2004 and 2011 Senior PGA Championship and the 2002 PGA Professional National Championship. The 96th PGA Championship will be held at Valhalla Golf Club, Aug. 4-10, 2014.

“Keith Reese is a highly respected PGA Professional at Valhalla Golf Club,” said PGA Chief Executive Officer Pete Bevacqua. “He has served The PGA of America and Valhalla members for nearly a quarter-century, while leading the golf staff in staging some of the most compelling events in PGA history. We are thrilled that Keith will oversee the management of Valhalla, in order to provide the highest quality golf experience for its members and guests, while furthering the Club’s standing as one of the world’s premier private facilities.”

A 1987 graduate of Augusta (Ga.) College, Reese was elected to PGA membership in 1992. He has obtained advanced education in the PGA Certified Professional Program, with certifications in Executive Management, General Management and Golf Operations.

Bernie Ecclestone has casted serious doubt over the Grand Prix of America in New Jersey after suggesting the race no longer has a valid contract.

The New Jersey race is scheduled to join the F1 calendar next year and construction of a pit and paddock complex on the banks of the Hudson River is already quite advanced. But Ecclestone has now told the Guardian that the organisers of the race “have not complied with the terms and conditions of the contract which is now gone anyway. They don’t have a contract.”

A draft 2013 calendar emerged in the paddock over the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, with the Grand Prix of America marked as “subject to confirmation”. Ecclestone says the New Jersey organisers don’t have long to meet the terms of the deal with the calender expected to be approved at Friday’s World Motor Sport Council meeting.

“We are pretty close to the final deadline,” he added. “We have got a world council meeting coming up. I think if somebody got behind them it could happen in 2013 because they have come a long way with the circuit.”

Ecclestone reached a similar impasse with the separate US Grand Prix in Austin last year before a deal was finally struck in December 2011. The Austin race is set to go ahead on November 18 this year.

According to ESPN Philadelphia 76ers minority owners Erick Thohir and Jason Levien have secured a deal to become the new co-owners of Major Leagus Soccer’s (MLS) DC United.

Sources told ESPN.com that Thohir and Levien are poised, pending MLS approval, to become partners next week with longtime DC United owner Will Chang, who also serves on the board of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants. 

DC United are a well established MLS brand having won the MLS Cup a record four times (1996, 1997, 1999 and 2004). CEO Kevin Payne, sources say, will continue to run the club’s day-to-day operations.

Thohir, an Indonesian media magnate who ranks as the first Asian owner in NBA history, and Levien, who worked as an NBA player agent before a stint in the Sacramento Kings’ front office that preceded his involvement with the Sixers, will make the construction of a new soccer-specific stadium for DC United their top priority. 

DC United are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference and play at RFK Stadium.

Gute Quote für den Super Bowl: Durchschnittlich 27, bronchi 1 Prozent der 14- bis 49-jährigen Zuschauer sahen die New York Giants auf ihrem Siegeszug durch die ersten drei Quarter gegen die New England Patriots in SAT.1. Insgesamt verfolgten bis zu 1,35 Millionen Zuschauer das nächtliche Spektakel live aus Indianapolis bei “ran”.

An Insights Forum is to be held by the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) in London on May 5, focusing on the impact of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games on the sponsorship industry.

The forum will be particularly keen to establish whether the industry will suffer a fall in demand in 2013 following the London 2012 Games, the management and motivation of workforces during and after the Games, the opportunities and perils of becoming a global agency on the back of success in 2012 and the legacy for sponsors following the Games.

The ESA Insights Forum, which is part of the European Sponsorship Association’s successful Knowledge programme, also boasts an impressive line-up of experts to cover these issues.

Among the line-up is Rob Clarke, Head of human resources at London 2012 and Marzena Bogdanowicz of b-focused, who has vast knowledge of the potential legacy impact of London 2012, having experienced a multitude of Olympic Games in her time at the British Olympic Association (BOA).

Amanda Fone of f1 recruitment has helped both sponsors, agencies and London 2012 recruit for the Olympic Games, while Sally Hancock of Lloyds Banking Group, the first national company to sign up as a Tier One partner for the Games, will share how her organisation is managing the process of building up a talented team to deliver both the Games themselves and Lloyds’s legacy contribution.

Fredda Hurwitz of Havas Sports and Entertainment has Olympic Games experience from the agency side, and Sarah Winckless, chair of the BOA Athletes Commission and heavily involved in preparing athletes for the Games, will also be speaking.

The forum will be chaired by Matt Rogan, the ESA chair of the Education group.

The ticket prices have been announced for the Europa League final, to be played on May 18 at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, a week after UEFA revealed their rocketing Champions League prices.

In fact, the most expensive tickets for the Europa League final will cost less than the cheapest tickets generally available for the Champions League final.

UEFA’s category one tickets for the Europa League final in Dublin have gone on sale priced at £129 (US$208.37) almost £50 ($80.76) cheaper than the lowest priced Champions League tickets at Wembley, including a £25 ($40.38) booking fee, with all fans able to buy category four seats, the cheapest, for £77 ($124.4).

UEFA angered fans in England last week when it was announced the cheapest tickets on general sale for the Champions League final at Wembley would cost £176 ($284.4) – including a £26 ($42) administration fee.

British Telecom (BT) has announced it will charge customers £16.99 (US$25) a month for both Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2, or just £11.99 (US$17) for just one of the channels.

BT has said that customers can sign up for the channels from today, in time for the new Premier League season which begins on 14 August.

BT is also offering Sky Sports 1 for £6.99 (US$10) a month, or both channels for £11.99 a month, if they are willing to sign up for other BT services such as broadband or telephone for a minimum of two years.

BT’s retail chief executive, Gavin Patterson, said: “We expect that entry prices as low as £6.99 will welcome in a huge numbers of extra customers who’d love to enjoy these channels, but thought they were too expensive.

Earlier this week, BT had signed a deal with BSkyB to allow BT Vision customers to watch the two sports channels.

The International Paralympic Committee’s Governing Board has announced today that Para-badminton will make their debut in the 2020 Paralympic Games.

Badminton has been listed among the first 16 sports for inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games sports programme.

The list released by the IPC is as follows: athletics, abortion archery, asthma badminton, doctor boccia, equestrian, goalball, powerlifting, rowing, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.

IPC President Sir Philip Craven said: “Our aim is to ensure that the final Tokyo 2020 Paralympic sports programme is fresh and features the best para-sports possible. I would like to thank all the sports who submitted their applications.

“This has been an extensive and rigorous review process and all sports were assessed against the same criteria.

“Although we can have a maximum of 23 sports in six years’ time, we have an option to reduce the number of sports in order to ensure we have a compelling and attractive para-sports programme.

“I would like to congratulate the 16 sports that we have already confirmed will be included in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, in particular badminton, who after missing out four years ago, submitted a very strong application.

“The IPC looks forward to working with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) over the coming years to manage their smooth transition into the 2020 sports programme.”

Reacting to the announcement, BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer, who led a delegation to present badminton’s case for inclusion to the IPC Governing Board last Sunday, was understandably elated at the news and underlined the significance for para-badminton athletes.

“On behalf of the Badminton World Federation, I would like to thank the IPC Governing Board for this landmark opportunity which they have given to athletes with impairments in the badminton community. Today is a dream come true for so many talented competitors who have shone on the badminton courts and who have yearned to do so at the highest level of sport for para-athletes,” he said.

“We have worked hard in their name and for their cause and we are humbled and honoured by this decision that will bring joy to so many of our players.”

The IPC Governing Board has deferred a final decision until its next meeting in late January on the remaining eight sports that aim to be part of the Games. This is so that the sports in question can provide additional information to the IPC addressing issues identified following an extensive management review process of the applications which started in late July.

A maximum of 23 sports can be included in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic sports programme however the IPC has the option to reduce the number of sports if it feels necessary.