The National Lacrosse League (NLL), in partnership with The Lacrosse Network, has announced that the league’s online game broadcasts will air on YouTube during the 2013 season.

The entire 2013 NLL season will be broadcast worldwide and live on YouTube (subject to territorial blackout restrictions for some games). NLL’s YouTube broadcasts will begin with the season opener on January 5 when the defending champion Rochester Knighthawks take on the Washington Stealth.

“We’re excited to announce our dynamic partnership with The Lacrosse Network to bring NLL games to YouTube,” said NLL Commissioner George Daniel. “YouTube’s worldwide audience will be a great platform for us to showcase exciting NLL action.”

“This is another win for sports fans around the world. By adding its live games to YouTube, the NLL will put its sport in front of millions, connecting and building deep relationships with its fans. We’re thrilled to help NLL grow and prosper,” said Frank Golding, YouTube Director of Sport for North America.

“The Lacrosse Network is proud to present NLL games on a platform that is international, accessible and interactive,” said The Lacrosse Network President Samir Chaudry. “Our partnership with the NLL is a major step forward in our mission to grow the game of lacrosse through the power of media.”

NLL games on YouTube will be available for mobile viewing live and on demand via iPad, iPhone and most Android devices.

Founded in 2005, YouTube has more than 800 million unique visitors each month, with the site receiving more than four billion views per day. Seventy percent (70%) of YouTube traffic comes from outside the United States.

Dunfermline have paid players and staff their full wages for last month after agreeing a deal with Rangers over a tickets debt.

The Fife club last week only paid players a proportion of their wages after the unpaid £84,000 bill sparked a short-term cashflow problem.

The money was due from tickets sold to Rangers fans for the Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash between the clubs on February 11, three days before the Ibrox club went into administration.

But talks on Monday between Dunfermline chairman John Yorkston and joint administrator Paul Clark led to a deal.

A club statement read on Monday: “Following discussions with the administrator at Rangers FC, the club has agreed to accept part of the outstanding ticket money of £84,000 today with the remaining balance due by the 13th April, 2012.

“This has allowed DAFC to pay in full the February salaries to all staff.

“The only outstanding sums due are for players’ bonuses, which we are confident of addressing in the next 10 days.”

Pars chairman John Yorkston said on Monday afternoon: “Dunfermline are quite happy with our discussions with the administrators.

“We have come to an agreement with them. They are happy and we are happy, but there is not an immediate fix.”

by Ismail Uddin

Now TV has extended its broadcasting rights of the English Premier League for three seasons starting with the next one.

The company had lost the broadcasting rights in 2010 to Cable TV, whose contract ends with the close of the current season in May.

According to a source, the fresh contract cost Now TV less than US$200 million, believed to be lower than what Cable TV paid for the right to air the hugely popular competition.

Cable reportedly earned US$60 million a year from the broadcasts.

With the Premier League due to air on Now TV, Cable contract holders might have to switch subscribers to watch their favorite football league.

But Cable holds the broadcast rights to the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League, which means fans wanting to have the best of both worlds will be forced to shell out more in subscribing to both broadcasters, political commentator and football fan Choy Tsz-keung said.

As the Premier League airs during weekend primetime hours and attracts many viewers, it may prompt Now TV to increase the price for the football channel, Choy fears.

Football commentator Li Tak-nang said the EPL is the most popular league for Hongkongers and its loss will have an adverse impact on Cable’s viewership.

But this will depend on how Now TV prices its latest acquisition.

“We welcome the return of the Barclays Premier League to Now TV,” TV & new media managing director Janice Lee Hoi-yi at parent company PCCW said.

“Barclays Premier League is one of the most prestigious football leagues in the world and to successfully regain the rights is a demonstration of our commitment to bring top-class sports content to our customers with superior viewing quality,” she said, adding that Now TV took “a disciplined approach” in submitting its bid.

“We are confident that the addition of Barclays Premier League will bring a positive effect to our customer growth and operational results,” she said.

Now TV also offers the Spanish La Liga, the English FA Cup and the Japanese J League.

Portsmouth and Rangers administrators are looking into a possible deal which will allow them to compete in a friendly fixture in order to raise much needed funds for the financially stricken clubs. 

Both outfits have dropped into administration, allergy with fears that Pompey could go out of business before the end of the season, symptoms while Rangers need to save £1m per month to survive. 

“We hope to do something with Rangers, patient ” Portsmouth administrator Trevor Birchtold the Daily Mail. “I am waiting for the administrators at Duff & Phelps coming back to me. We have proposed a plan and are waiting for a response.” 

It is thought that the SPL champions are open to organising a match but are struggling to find an available date on the league calendar.

by Ismail Uddin

MLS side Houston Dynamo have agreed a multi-year radio partnership with Gow Media, rx that will see most of their games airing on 1560 AM, and select games airing on ESPN 97.5 FM.

A weekly radio show, “Dynamo All-Access” will also air every Monday night as part of the deal. Glenn Davis, a TV commentator and former soccer player, will host the show that will debut on 1560 AM at 7pm on January 21st, coinciding with the start of the team’s training camp for the 2013 season.

Dynamo president Chris Canetti believes the partnership will allow the team, and the sport as a whole, to develop in the United States.

He said: “With Gow Media, 1560 AM, and ESPN 97.5 FM, we have found a group that believes in the Dynamo and Major League Soccer. “They are committed to a partnership that will help our team, league and sport to grow. This is a tremendous development for the Dynamo and for soccer fans around the Houston area. I am pleased to have a strong English radio platform to thoroughly tell our compelling storylines.”

Gow Media CEO David Gow added: “The Dynamo have incredible momentum – a winning team, a passionate fan base and a great new stadium. We really look forward to being the radio home of the Dynamo for years to come and part of the fastest growing sport in the United States.”

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is looking to place Port Vale, who were hit with a winding-up petition by HM Revenue & Customs over an unpaid taxes a few days ago, in administration. 

The League Two side, currently under a transfer embargo, will be deducted 10 points when they go into  administration, moving them out of the play-off places an into the bottom half of the table.   

Council leader Mohammed Pervez said: “We have given a clear steer to officers to explore putting Port Vale into administration.

“This is as opposed to liquidation, which would see the end of the club.”

Mo Chaudry, who had a bid of £1.2million for 54% of shares rejected last summer, has been tipped as the club’s likely saviour and currently monitoring developments very closely. 

An emergence meeting was called on Sunday by Port Vale Supporters’ Club Chairman Pete Williams, who issued this statement: “It has been an horrendous few days for the club’s staff, the shareholders and the thousands of fans to whom Port Vale means so much.”As and when the current regime leaves Vale Park we will be urging every supporter – lapsed or otherwise – to do everything they can to get behind the team and support the football club in any way they can.”

Sports broadcaster ESPN is preparing to announce the appointment of Ross Hair as its new head of operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Hair will join from Sony Pictures Television and will bring an end to a five month search for a replacement for Lynne Frank who left the position citing personal reasons in April.

Hair’s appointment will mark his second stint at ESPN, having previously worked for the company’s Star Sports business in Singapore.

Before that, he spent five years at children’s television channel Nickelodeon in the UK, joining from BSkyB.

It is not yet known when Hair will take up his new role, but until that time, the businesses will be overseen by Russell Wolff, executive vice president of ESPN International.

Frank was a highly respected member of the ESPN team, who oversaw the acquisitions of Cricinfo.com and Scrum.com during her five years in the job.

The Hong Kong-based Legend Fighting Championship has secured a broadcast agreement with ESPN to show content in more than 100 different countries.

Branded as “the Asia-Pacific Championship of MMA,” Legend FC debuted in 2010 and has promoted 10 events in total, with six taking place in Hong Kong and four more in Macau. 

The new broadcast deal begins with the promotion’s upcoming Legend Fighting Championship 11 event, which is expected to feature Mongolian LFC lightweight champ Jadamba Narantungalag (8-2) defending his belt against Japan’s Koji Ando (7-3-2).

Further details on Legend FC 11 and the promotion’s upcoming broadcast schedule are expected to be announced shortly.

“Since our first tournament in January 2010, Legend has been bringing the best of Asia-Pacific MMA to a growing audience,” Chris Pollak, Legend FC co-founder and managing director, stated. “This agreement will give our television and broadband streaming efforts huge new reach into multiple regions around the world, cementing our position as the most widely distributed Asian MMA content worldwide. We look forward to working closely with our partners at ESPN.”

ESPN International is a division of ESPN that includes include television, radio, print, Internet, broadband, wireless, consumer products and event management operations. The company’s stated philosophy to global growth is “to always serve sports fans and be locally relevant to them, with content and products that tap into their great passion and dedication.”

The deal brings Legend FC’s programming to 109 different countries, including Australia and New Zealand, as well as nations throughout the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and cruise ships in these territories. The partnership last through 2014.

“We’re excited to bring Legend’s combination of a roster filled with elite Asia-Pacific fighters and high-quality production values to ESPN television and broadband channels in more than a hundred countries around the world,” ESPN International Vice-President of Programming Michael Walters stated.

Portsmouth FC are in danger of not completing the season as their financial troubles have worsened, according to club administrator Trevor Birch.

Birch says Pompey, who entered administration in February, will not receive parachute payments from the Premier League as they will go straight to former owner Sacha Gaydamak.

In a statement on the club’s official website Birch said: “Following our discussions with the Premier League and Football League over the past few days, it has emerged that Portsmouth football club is unlikely to receive any further parachute payments or other league funding.

“We had previously stated that there was a real danger of the club running out of cash before the end of the season.

“The risk of this happening increases substantially without the money from the football authorities.

“Unless something significant happens, there is a real possibility that we may not be able to fulfil the season’s fixtures.

“One potential issue appears to come from the assignment of £2.2million of parachute payments that was made by the old company to a previous owner.

“We have instructed lawyers to challenge this, but the process may take time.”

Birch remains committed to saving the cash-strapped club, but admits “the clock is ticking” to find new owners.

He added: “As you’d expect, several people have got in touch with us since our appointment as administrators and made enquiries about buying the club.

“We are assessing every case and will make contact with anyone that we believe could be a serious bidder over the next few days.

“Any potential bidders will need to be prepared to make a major investment in the club because the outlook for next season looks challenging unless we can sell some players in the summer.”

Pompey were deducted 10 points in February after going into administration for the second time in two years.

Birch was forced to loan top scorer Erik Huseklepp to Birmingham to trim the wage bill and also announced 30 redundancies at the club.

by Ismail Uddin

The President of the German Canoe Federation (DKV) Thomas Konietzko has announced that the “Second German Television” (ZDF) will provide live coverage of the 2013 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Duisburg.

Both the ICF and ZDF confirmed the dates for the Championships to take place from 27 August to 1 September on the famed Wedau Regatta course in Duisburg. The City stepped in for Rio de Janeiro, mind after the latter withdrew from hosting the event.

The Local Organising Committee also announced “Sparkasse Duisburg” a local bank as their first main sponsor. The chairman of the bank described their partnership and support of the event as their contribution to promoting the City of Duisburg as a reputable host of major sporting events.

“Duisburg has invested in the development of the regatta course in previous years, generic ” said Hans-Werner Tomalak, Chairman of Sparkasse Duisburg Bank. “This will be the first time we will be able to present the completed parallel channel.”

The local organisers of the Championships will be Kanu-Regatta-Club Duisburg led by their President, Otto Schulte. This will be the fifth time that the club will be responsible for organising this major event, having already done so in 1979, 1987, 1995 and 2007.

“We are experienced enough to organise such a large event with short notice to suit all athletes,” Said Otto Schulte. “We anticipate the participation of approximately 80 nations to participate in the title races in the year after the Olympics.”

Thomas Konietzko explained during the press conference that It was no simple undertaking to find the right dates to stage the Championships as all German television stations had to be consulted with regards to live coverage of the event,

During a meeting at Mainz, home of the ZDF, a full coverage of the weekend of the finals was agreed upon.

As the only World Championships to be held in Germany next year and Canoe Sprint being the most successful summer sport in Germany, the competition will attract plenty of TV viewers as well as spectators to the venue so consequently it was an easy decision to make for the leading figures at ZDF.

The TV station ZDF will present a weekend of regattas, with parallel live coverage of the Canoe Sprint World Championships and the Rowing World Championships from Chungju, South Korea.

Otto Schulte presented the full programme for the 2013 World Championships stating that the Opening Ceremony will be staged in Duisburg on 27 August (Tuesday) and the first day of competition will be 28 August (Wednesday), featuring Paracanoeing. Heats in all other disciplines, including the 200m and 1000m, will then be run on Thursday and Friday.

“One of the challenges with the short notice of taking over the event is setting up a budget,” said Konietzko. “Therefore it is very important for us that Sparkasse Duisburg did not hesitate to agree their support.

“We can feel the tail wind as city and region are ready for next year’s event.”

The Chairman of the board, Hans-Werner Tomalak, concluded, “The 2013 World Championships will be a real highlight for all citizens. We accept our responsibility as an enterprise with strong local links to contribute to the successful making of such a major event.”