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.”

Lord Sebastien Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), feels that the successful hosting of the games will rely heavily on the transport system and the London’s ability to overcome the recent issues.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) have long held concerns over the transport network which is currently in place with the capital’s roads amongst the most congested in the world. The proposed Olympic Route Network (ORN) scheme put forward by LOCOG has not gone down well with many of the natives who feel that the idea is just a ploy to show preferential treatment to those involved during the Games. The number of peak-time journeys made throughout the course of the event is feared to rise by as much as 12.5 per cent which may cause real problems for the committee.

Coe was quick to deny claims that the ORN scheme is merely their to favour athletes and officials saying: “The Olympic route planning is about functionality it’s not about glamour,” the chairman told London Assembly lawmakers, as quoted by Reuters. “You have a choice, you can have this city remembered as a Barcelona or an Atlanta.”

The comparisons were made after the infamous transport system during the Atlanta Games in 1994 overloaded spectators and athletes in a desperate attempt to get them to venues. In contrast the Barcelona Games just two years earlier have long been touted as a model for all the following games to adhere to from a transport perspective.

Kyle Busch  was fined $25,000 by NASCAR on Tuesday for his obscene gesture, and the driver again apologized for losing his temper.

Busch was also placed on probation through Dec. 31 – the same day as his wedding – for what NASCAR called unsportsmanlike conduct in Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.

“I lost my cool, plain and simple,” Busch said in a statement. “It’s not acceptable, and I know that. I apologize to NASCAR, its fans, all the partners who support Joe Gibbs Racing, and all the people who work so hard to give me a racecar that’s capable of winning races every week. All of those people deserve better from me, and I owe it to them to keep my emotions in check.”

Busch was penalized for speeding at Texas and called into the pits to serve a one-lap penalty. While sitting in his car, he held up his middle finger toward the NASCAR official standing in front of his Toyota ( TM – news – people ).

The in-car camera caught the gesture, and it was broadcast live before ESPN realized what Busch was doing. The network apologized and cut away from the shot.

NASCAR immediately penalized Busch an additional two laps and ordered crew chief Dave Rogers to get the driver under control.

It led to a testy exchange between driver and crew chief, with Busch arguing that NASCAR was denying his right to free speech.

“They’re going against the constitutional rights for everybody,” Busch yelled over his radio.

Rogers implored Busch to shut his mouth and serve the penalty.

“Kyle, stop, please!” Rogers told him. “We all work too hard for this! You’re costing us. Bring it to pit road, park it for two laps.”

Busch was unable to recover from the sequence and finished 32nd, two laps down. He apologized immediately after the race for his latest blowup, and reiterated it following Tuesday’s fine.

“I accept NASCAR’s penalty and realize what I did during Sunday’s race at Texas was inappropriate,” he said. “Even in my relatively short time here in NASCAR, it’s pretty obvious to everyone that I wear my emotions on my sleeve. Sometimes that passion has allowed me to find that little something extra I needed to win, and other times it’s made me cross the line. Sunday at Texas was one of those days.”

The International Cricket Council said it is impressed with the moves being made by the Pakistan Cricket Board to weed out corruption in its system.

The PCB has initiated a number of activities that are aimed at sorting out the mess in its ranks:
* The development of an Anti-Corruption Code by the PCB
* A proposed plan to regulate agents of Pakistani players
* An enhanced and countrywide education programme

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: “PCB has clearly recognized that it is imperative to protect the integrity of cricket and we are indeed impressed by the progress reported. Their willingness to play such an active role on the integrity issue is vital to the future of international cricket. They have shown a clear determination to tackle their challenges.

“The ICC task team is mindful of those challenges and is committed to supporting the PCB.”

Pakistan Task Team chairman Giles Clarke said: “The PCB chairman and his team must be congratulated for the speed with which they have adopted the recommendations of the ICC Board. Everyone is encouraged by the statements and actions of the PCB and we must hope that they continue.”

In an interview with Bloomberg Television, allergy NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said labor uncertainty is affecting National Football League revenue as the U.S.’s most-watched television sport negotiates a collective bargaining agreement with its players.

“The impact of not having a labor agreement is already starting, symptoms ” Goodell said. “It will continue to grow. It will continue to have a greater and greater impact and my point is that there will be lost revenue opportunities. And when revenue is reduced, nurse it’s even harder to reach an agreement.”

Goodell said uncertainty makes it difficult for sponsors to plan effectively. Electronic Arts Inc.’s EA Sports unit has asked the NFL for a $30 million reduction in scheduled payments because of labor uncertainty, the Wall Street Journal reported this month citing unnamed people familiar with the talks. Without a labor deal, the league may lose $125 million from existing corporate partners by March and another $400 million that month from fans not renewing season tickets, the newspaper said, citing two unnamed senior league officials.

The UK and Ireland arm of Japanese athletics equipment company Asics has appointed Barry Mellis as its new managing director, buy it has been announced.

Mellis replaces Rioji Sekito and has extensive UK and European sports trade experience having most recently been general manager of Intersport UK.

President and chief operating officer of Asics Europe, sale Alistair Cameron, check said: “Everyone at Asics worldwide is grateful for the significant contribution Sekito San has made to the company, and in particular the work he has done to build the brand in the UK, now our fastest growing market.

“He will be sorely missed, however he leaves a strong legacy and a good team in place and we could not have a more suitable replacement in Barry who brings a huge amount of sports retail and industry experience to the brand at a crucial stage in its development. Asics UK is the fastest growing part of Asics European business and he will be responsible for maintaining brand growth and dynamism.”

Mellis added: “Asics is a fantastic, highly credible brand with the realistic ambition of becoming the number one premium sports performance brand. I relish the challenge of developing brand presence and growth in both the UK and Irish markets.”

TPG Capital, the private equity firm, has bought a 35 per cent stake in sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA Sports).

CAA Sports represents more than 650 of the world’s biggest athletes, coaches, broadcasters, teams, leagues, venues and marketers.

Major League Baseball (MLB) star Derek Jeter and Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo are among the company’s clients.

Under the terms of the deal, CAA and TPG have agreed to create a US$500 million pledge fund which will provide access to significant capital for future investments.

TPG founding partner David Bonderman said: “CAA is the clear leader within its industry and the talent agency most trusted by successful actors, directors, writers, producers, musicians and athletes.

“Over its history, the company has demonstrated a consistent ability to identify nascent opportunities and expand into new markets.

“CAA’s outstanding management team has built the gold-standard franchise in their industry based on a culture of exceptional client service, and we look forward to supporting CAA at this exciting inflection point in their evolution as they look to expand their operations and services around the globe.”

 

Spreadex, the financial and sports spread betting firm, has recorded its highest ever monthly volume of sports bets thanks to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Spreadex said that sports bets increased by 16 per cent compared to its previous highest levels set in March this year. The company has also seen its highest ever number of unique bettors and new registered accounts.

A Spreadex spokesman said: “The World Cup is the biggest betting event on the globe and it always helps when matches are shown on terrestrial television rather than satellite TV, but we’ve been surprised in the upturn in business.

“England’s early exit doesn’t seem to have had a negative impact. In fact we’ve had higher number of bets placed on many matches featuring other countries rather than the games involving the Three Lions.”

Spreadex launched its online sports betting service in May 2006, and launched its fixed odds sports division in May 2010.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has signed a two-year deal to broadcast the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at London’s O2 Arena.

The event, which takes place from 21 to 28 November, is the conclusion to the men’s professional tennis season, and consists of the world’s eight highest ranked singles and doubles players.

The deal will see the BBC show a live match every day, including the opening match, one semi-final and the final.

The event moved from Shanghai to London in 2009, and was hugely popular in its first year in London, setting an all-time indoor tennis attendance record with 256,000 fans coming over eight days.

All matches broadcast by the BBC will also be available on its iPlayer service.

InfrontRingier Sports & Entertainment Switzerland is to become a strategic partner of Swiss Indoors Basel handling commercialisation of the sponsorship opportunities for the third largest indoor tennis tournament in the world.

The leading Swiss sports marketing company is to offer the main sponsorship packages of the ATP World Tour 500 tournament – at national and international level

For international sponsorship marketing, therapy InfrontRingier will work closely with the sales teams of parent company Infront Sports & Media. As one of the leading sports marketing companies worldwide, advice the Group has an extensive network and long-term experience in the marketing of top international properties – including the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, cheap FIS Ski World Cup events, the DFB and the UCI World Championships.

The new partnership follows the acknowledgement of the Swiss Indoors Basel tournament as part of the ATP 500 World Tour series: “This promotion was a quantum leap towards putting Swiss Indoors on the international stage. Considering the international competition, it is important to strengthen and promote the reputation of our tournament.

We are convinced that InfrontRingier is well positioned for this complex task and will stand up to the challenge”, says Roger Brennwald, President of Swiss Indoors Basel.

The tournament achieves significant TV exposure: Spread over seven days, more than 3,300 hours of coverage are broadcast into over 175 countries. This makes the Swiss Indoors Basel one of the most widely watched Swiss sports events on TV internationally.

Armin Meier, Managing Director of InfrontRingier, added: “Tennis is one of the most popular sports in Switzerland. The long standing tradition of the Swiss Indoors Basel and the great successes of the Swiss athletes contribute to the enormous fascination of this sport throughout the country.

“As an ATP World Tour tournament, the event is a permanent fixture on the Swiss sports landscape and is therefore highly valued – having reached international acclaim. Sponsors have an opportunity to align with a premium platform, both engaging with enthusiastic spectators on-site and benefitting from cumulative audiences of several million worldwide.”