Sports

Former NCAA Players Sue EA Over Likenesses in Football Games

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 1, 2009 - 8:01am.
Los Angeles - A number of former college football players have filed suit against Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS), alleging the company included their likenesses in its "NCAA Football" video games without permission, GamePolitics reported.

French Xbox Users Get Canal Plus TV, Movies, Soccer

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2009 - 11:04am.
London - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) has partnered with French pay-TV company Canal Plus to offer movies, TV and soccer on demand through its Xbox 360 video game console, Reuters reported. The deal will give French Xbox Live members access to some 3,000 programs, as well as French Ligue 1 soccer matches. Microsoft signed an Xbox Live programming carriage deal last month with BSkyB.

Sports Broadcaster Setanta Enters Administration

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 24, 2009 - 11:09am.
London - Setanta Sports, a provider of premium and pay-per-view sporting events like English Premier League football, has switched off its signals to nearly three million British households, a day after entering administration, or bankruptcy proceedings, Reuters reported.

NBC to Stream Wimbledon Finals Live Online

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 23, 2009 - 11:40am.
New York - NBC (NYSE: GE) Sports has announced plans to stream next month's men's and women's finals from the Wimbledon tennis tournament live on NBCSports.com, Mediapost reports. In fact, the network will stream all of its tournament coverage online, offering additional camera angle choices for Web viewers. The network streamed the U.S. Open golf finals live online on Monday.

tags: Sports | Video | TV | NBC | Wimbledon |

Electronic Arts Signs Patrick Kane for Cover of "NHL 10"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 22, 2009 - 12:27pm.
Redwood City, Calif. - Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS) on Monday announced 20-year-old scoring phenom Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks as the new cover athletes of its NHL 10 video game. Kane is the youngest player ever chosen for the cover of the franchise, and his image will be on the front of all packaging when the game is available in North American retail stores this September.

Major League Baseball Adds Live Game Streams to iPhone App

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2009 - 12:19pm.
New York - Major League Baseball Advanced Media announced on Wednesday that it will now offer live streaming of baseball games through its At Bat 2009 application for Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone. Users of the $9.99 application will be able to view up to two games a day, subject to blackout restrictions.

tags: Mobile | Sports | Video | TV | Apple | MLBAM | iPhone |

Waterproof Headphones Firm H2O Audio Signs Michael Phelps

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 16, 2009 - 12:58pm.
San Diego - H2O Audio, a manufacturer of waterproof headphones and accessories for MP3 players and other consumer electronics, announced on Tuesday that it has signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with 16-time Olympic medalist swimmer Michael Phelps. Phelps' imagery and voice will be integrated into select product packaging, advertisements and displays at retailers including Apple Stores, Best Buy and Target, as well as online.

ISPs Ask FCC to Halt "Discriminatory" ESPN360 Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 15, 2009 - 9:34am.
Washington - A group of small cable TV operators has petitioned the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to halt the practice of content providers charging "discriminatory" rates to ISPs in exchange for exclusive content, as they say is the case with Disney's (NYSE: DIS) ESPN360 broadband service, Ars Technica reports.

EA Signs Dwight Howard for Cover of "NBA Live 10"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 11, 2009 - 12:22pm.
Redwood City, Calif. - Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS) said on Thursday that Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard will grace the cover of its "NBA Live 10" game. The title currently is in development by EA Canada in Vancouver, and will be available worldwide this October. The game also will feature separate cover athletes for France, Germany, Spain and Italy.

Judge Allows Gamers' Antitrust Claim Against Electronic Arts

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 9, 2009 - 11:05am.
San Francisco - A federal judge in San Francisco has allowed antitrust claims filed by two gamers against "Madden NFL" game publisher Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS) to go forward, GamePolitics reports.

Cablevision to Offer First In-Market MLB Game Streaming

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 8, 2009 - 1:52pm.
New York - Cable TV provider Cablevision has signed the first agreement to offer in-market live streaming of Major League Baseball games, The New York Times reported. The deal between the New York Yankees' YES Network and Major League Baseball Advanced Media will see revenue shared with Cablevision. Pricing details were not known for the service, which is expected to launch sometime this season.

ESPN The Magazine to Charge for Online Content

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 8, 2009 - 1:50pm.
Los Angeles - ESPN The Magazine is no longer offering its content online for free, instead opting to make the magazine's content available online as part of another service, ESPN Insider, which costs $39.95 per year. Existing print subscribers will be able to access the content on Insider at no extra charge; PaidContent reports that Insider has around 350,000 paying subscribers.

Kobe Bryant to Grace Cover of 2K's "NBA 2K10" Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 5, 2009 - 10:46am.
New York - Game publisher Take-Two Interactive's (NASD: TTWO) 2K Sports label said on Friday that it has signed 11-time NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers to be the cover athlete for its "NBA 2K10" game. Spike Lee was also hired to produce a spot for the game featuring Bryant.

Cardinals Manager La Russa Sues Twitter Over Fake Account

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 5, 2009 - 9:28am.
St. Louis - Tony La Russa, manager of Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals, this week filed suit against Twitter over a fake account that posted false messages and allegedly damaged his trademark rights and caused emotional distress, the Associated Press reports.

Group to Standardize Platform for High School Sports Video

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 5, 2009 - 8:06am.
Wheeling, W.Va. - HighSchoolSports.net, a West Virginia-based division of newspaper publisher Gannett that publishes high school sports information and schedules on the Web, said that it has formed a new industry alliance aimed at standardizing the technology used to produce and distribute high school sports video.

Yahoo Sues NFL Players Assn. Over Fantasy Football Rights

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 4, 2009 - 9:27am.
Sunnyvale, Calif. - Yahoo (NASD: YHOO) has filed suit against the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), seeking a ruling from a judge that would permit the company to use players' names and statistics in its online fantasy football leagues without having to pay licensing fees. Yahoo's suit alleges that the NFLPA threatened to sue the company if it did not pay licensing fees that it has in the past for the players' data.

Electronic Arts Using Subscription Model for Tiger Woods Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 29, 2009 - 11:42am.
Redwood City, Calif. - Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS) said on Friday that it plans to release an online version of its popular "Tiger Woods PGA Tour" golf game this fall. The game, which won't require any downloads or special peripherals, will be offered through a multi-tiered subscription model.

Major League Baseball Adds 'Condensed Games' to iPhone App

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 27, 2009 - 12:47pm.
New York - Major League Baseball's MLB.com on Wednesday announced the release of its Condensed Games video recaps service to its At Bat 2009 application for Apple's iPhone. The $9.99 application also offers live audio broadcasts without blackout restrictions and real-time video highlights.

Sports-Focused Social Network Loop'd Secures $800,000

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 21, 2009 - 7:37am.
San Diego - Loop'd Network, a sports-focused online social network, said on Thursday that it has secured an additional $800,000 in funding from existing backers, and new investor Tech Coast Angels.

EA Signs Larry Fitzgerald, Troy Polamalu for "Madden NFL 10"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 24, 2009 - 10:57am.
Redwood City, Calif. - Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS) on Friday named Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu as cover athletes for its "Madden NFL 10" game, scheduled for release on Aug. 14. It will mark the first time in the 21-year history of the Madden NFL franchise that two athletes will grace the cover.