The Russian broadcast rights for the UEFA Champions and Europa League tournaments for 2012-15 have been awarded to NTV and NTV Plus. Media rights will also include the UEFA Super Cup curtain-raiser to the European season, with the deal representing an extension of an existing agreement between the two parties.

Under the terms of the agreement, NTV and NTV Plus will air at least six live matches simultaneously every Tuesday and Wednesday during the Champions League and six live matches from each Europa League kick-off slot. UEFA also stated that NTV’s commitment to broadcasting free-to-air highlights has “increased markedly from the current cycle”. Additionally, the rights will be also exploited on the internet via the www.ntv.ru and www.ntvplus.ru websites and through mobile technology.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, the marketing director of UEFA Events SA, stated: “UEFA firmly believes that NTV and NTV Plus, through their enhanced programming commitment, will continue building on these successes to further develop the profile of each competition in Russia while providing football fans across the country with the opportunity to enjoy extensive coverage of the best of European club football through 2015.”

Vodafone Warriors have signed Woodstock Bourbon & Cola as a new major sponsor.

The partnership will see Woodstock’s logo featuring on the sleeves of the NRL team’s jerseys while Wild Buck Ale will appear on the sleeves of the New South Wales Cup side’s jerseys.

“With 2015 signalling a new chapter in our history we are delighted to welcome Woodstock into the Vodafone Warriors’ family, viagra pharmacy ” said Vodafone Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah.

“We’re excited about standing shoulder to shoulder with New Zealand’s favourite bourbon and cola and can’t wait to roll out the plans Woodstock has for Vodafone Warriors fans in 2015.”

Woodstock CEO Julian Davidson commented: “We’ve always been popular with Vodafone Warriors fans and couldn’t be prouder to make it official and share their passion in what is a very special year for the club, adiposity ” he said.

“We’ll be there every step of the way to help the Vodafone Warriors kick off their 20^thanniversary celebrations. It’s a great time to start our partnership.”

As well as on-kit visibility with the Woodstock and Wild Buck Ale brands displayed on the NRL and New South Wales Cup jerseys, Woodstock will have pourage rights at all 11 Vodafone Warriors matches at Mount Smart Stadium.

The sponsorship agreement also incorporates ticketing, signage, player access and merchandise benefits along with a number of exclusive behind the scenes experiences.

A European Union (EU) court have ruled that governing bodies are not permitted to strike exclusive pay-TV deals for games in the UK and Belgium. The decision means that soccer fans will be able to continue to watch free footage of the World Cup and European Championships after FIFA and UEFA both lost court respective court appeals.

The appeals came from soccer’s global and European governing bodies after the EU allowed nations to make the flagship tournaments in question available for free-access to anyone with a TV set.

The EU General Court ruled that Government restrictions are “justified” to “ensure wide public access to television broadcasts of those events. Recent statistics show that the system in Belgium and the U.K. to show the World Cup only for free drew many viewers, “a significant proportion of whom are not usually interested in football.”

Today’s decision echoes a non-binding opinion by an adviser to the EU’s top court earlier this month in a case involving the Premier League to restrict exclusive broadcasting agreements for soccer matches. A ruling in FIFA’s favor could have ended decades of tradition in the U.K., where the World Cup, the most- watched sporting event, must by law be broadcast solely on free- to-air television.

ESPN STAR Sports (ESS), pills Global Media Rights partner of the Inetrnational Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup 2011, clinic is gearing up its production to make sure that the one billion people who tune in from more than 180 territories around the world will enjoy an unrivaled spectator experience all from the comfort of their living rooms.

ESS are launching an array of on-air enhancements and compelling graphic presentation to accompany the insightful and trusted voices of its expert group of commentators.

For the first time, erectile production of the ICC Cricket World Cup with be broadcast in the High Definition (HD) format and audiences will enjoy the most riveting experience as each and every match will be covered by at least 27 cameras, including such innovative features as movable slips cameras and new, low 45-degree field cameras.

ICC chief-executive Haroon Lorgat stated: “We expect the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to be the most viewed cricket event in the history of the game. The unique passion and enthusiasm for our great sport in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka will help to make this an event to remember and the biggest sporting event anywhere in the world this year.

“And for those people around the world who can’t be there in person, ESS’s production with an unrivaled array of expert commentators and exciting production initiatives will mean that more than a billion people can view every single game across all 13 venues from the comfort of their own home.”

Manu Sawhney, ESS Managing Director, said: “With less than 48 hours to go until the most iconic cricket event, we continue to receive a very positive response from our partners globally and from the sub-continent. The popularity and the significance of the tournament is well reflected in the fact that we have syndicated this event to more than 180 territories across the globe, making it the most widely distributed ICC Cricket World Cup so far.

“The 2011 edition will see many first-of-its-kind initiatives. It will be the very first time that an ICC event will have the Decision Review System (DRS) thus further enhancing the overall presentation of the game. For the very first time, the ICC Cricket World Cup will be shown across platforms in such an extensive manner as online and mobile 3G. Complementing this is a stellar line-up of cricket legends from various countries who will further augment the viewing experience for fans with their insightful and engaging commentary and expert comments.”

Diamond Resorts International (DRI), an internationally renowned vacation ownership brand, just announced its sponsorship of PGA professional golfer John Cook, who in return pledged to make personal appearances at golf clinics organized by Diamond Resorts.

In addition, he will make surprise visits to selected EVENTS OF A LIFETIME, and participate in owner golf tournaments. The successful golf player joined the PGA Tour in 1980 and has won 11 eleven PGA Tour events and nine Champions Tour events.

Cook was thrilled when DRI made a sponsorship offer: “I am very excited to join with Diamond Resorts and represent their brand. I look forward to hosting Diamond owners at the company’s cutting-edge EVENTS OF A LIFETIME. I am also honored to meet and work with the talented team members within the company who continually strive to deliver the best in the hospitality industry.”

According to the chief rights negotiator for the International Olympic Committee, Richard Carrion, a US broadcast deal covering up to the next four editions of the Olympics should be in place by July.

Among those believed to be in the runnin to become US Olympic rights holder include major broadcasters NBC, Fox and ABC/ESPN, and the deal is likely to be the most lucrative in the history of the Games. The IOC had delayed awarding the US rights for more than a year due to the slump in the advertising market.

Carrion told Reuters: “I suspect we will have a deal in place by (the IOC session in July) in Durban. Our goal is hopefully to have it by then. We are currently in the process of reviewing the contract, updating the contract from 2010-12.”

The current deal with NBC, spanning from 2010-12 for the US Olympic broadcast contract is worth a total of around US$2 billion, but Carrion claimed that for the new deal “we will see an increase”.

He added: “We are still open to the idea (of a four-Games deal). We will listen to their proposals, but it is not something that we are going to demand from them.”

Carrion is one of a small number of candidates to have been suggested as a possible replacement for IOC president Jacques Rogge, who will step down in two years’ time after two terms at the helm, but the rights negotiator played down the speculation: “Let’s just wait. I am very honoured (to be linked with a presidency bid) but let us just wait.”

JR Motorsports announced today a multi-year sponsorship extension with Pinnacle Foods Inc. that will start with four NASCAR XFINITY Series races in 2015 with drivers Kasey Kahne and Kevin Harvick.

As it did this year with Harvick, vcialis 40mg Pinnacle Foods will continue featuring the Armour brand on JRM’s all-star car. Armour specializes in canned meats and includes Vienna sausages, click chili, adiposity luncheon meat, beef stew and more.

Additionally, the company’s Vlasic and Wish-Bone brands will receive primary sponsorship placement on Regan Smith’s No. 7 Chevrolet for the upcoming event at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway on Oct. 10, 2014.

“Pinnacle Foods is excited to extend our partnership with JR Motorsports and is looking forward to celebrating more wins on and off the track,” Pinnacle Foods Vice President of Marketing Eric Hintz said. “This is our first multi-year racing sponsorship, and we are pleased to continue our long-term support of NASCAR.”

Armour’s 2015 races include Kahne at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on May 2 and Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway on May 23, as well as races with Harvick at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Sept. 5 and Kansas Speedway on Oct. 17.

“Kevin, Kasey and Regan all have played integral parts in making this the most successful season in JR Motorsports history,” said JRM general manager Kelley Earnhardt Miller. “They’ve all won races this year in our cars, and our goal heading into 2015 will be to continue that momentum. It is great to have Pinnacle Foods on board to experience this ride with us.”

In their role as the exclusive commercial partner of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for the annual IIHF World Championship, clinic Infront Sports & Media has signed a comprehensive media rights agreement with the television network TV4 for coverage of the 2012-2017 IIHF World Championship.

The Scandinavian broadcaster has acquired the exclusive rights for its home  of Sweden as well as for Denmark and Norway, ailment which will ensure long-term coverage of the tournament in one of the biggest ice hockey markets worldwide.

The agreement will see TV4 cover all television outlets, including terrestrial, cable, satellite, and broadband platforms, radio and internet as well as mobile rights on a FREE and/or PAY basis.

Johan Kleberg, Head of Sports Rights Acquisitions for the TV4-Group, stated: “We look forward to providing the TV4 audience with comprehensive coverage of one of the biggest sports events of the year. Furthermore we are significantly strengthening our position within ice hockey in the region. The 2012 and 2013 tournaments are of particular interest as they are co-hosted by Finland and Sweden and will attract significant levels of public interest and in-depth coverage across the whole of Scandinavia.”

Bruno Marty, Infront’s Executive Director Winter Sports, added: “This agreement between Infront and TV4 is remarkable as it ensures the long-term coverage of the IIHF World Championship in one of the world’s major ice hockey markets. The Final of the 1970 IIHF World Championship reached one of the highest TV-audience levels in Swedish broadcast history and figures have remained high ever since. This is clear proof of the popularity and unparalleled status of ice hockey in the country. We are convinced that the high-quality host broadcast production supervised by Infront will provide a base from which TV4 – over the course of the next six years – will be able to supply some of the best and most successful ice hockey programming to date.”