Sky Television, the satellite broadcaster controlled by
Rupert Murdoch, inked a $195M deal for the Football League,
giving the station a "virtual monopoly on TV soccer coverage in
England." The five-year deal begins with the '96 season and will
cover the First, Second, and Third Divisions, which could "ease
the threat of the leading First Division clubs breaking away to
form a second division of the Premier League." The deal gives
Sky "a toe-hold in all major English football competitions"
(FINANCIAL TIMES, 11/29).
ALL NEWS CHANNEL: In a speech to business executives in
Boston, Murdoch said he plans to start a 24-hour news channel in
the U.S. to rival Ted Turner's CNN. Murdoch: "We think it is
about time CNN was challenged, especially as it tends to drift
further and further to the left." He declined to specify a
timetable, but he said the channel "would certainly be available
within the next few years" (REUTERS/DAILY VARIETY, 11/29).
Murdoch called the lack of a global news network the "great
missing link" in his media empire (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/29).
