HBO will launch its new boxing series "After Dark" this
February. Airing late night Saturdays, the show debuts February
3 at 11:00pm EST. HBO will be responsible for the marketing and
distribution of international rights to the series
(HB0)...."Inside the Ropes," a boxing show hosted by Al
Bernstein, will air every other Friday on ESPN's "SportsCenter"
(Steve Zipay, NEWSDAY, 1/12)....An American Internet User Survey
shows that "a small but swiftly growing" group of internet users
is spending an average of nearly seven hours a week online, and
the time is coming mostly from TV viewing (Ramon McLeod, S.F.
CHRONICLE, 1/12). A new survey by Find/SVP estimates the number
of Internet users in the U.S. at 9.5 million -- a figure well
below the finding of a "disputed study" by Nielsen Media Research
late last year (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/12)....Cowboys Owner Jerry
Jones reportedly contracted former Packers receiver Sterling
Sharpe last month to see if he was interested in joining the
team, according to the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Jones said a return
for Sharpe, currently an ESPN "GameDay" analyst, "wasn't out of
the realm of reality, but it was highly improbable" (MILWAUKEE
JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/12)....With Jimmy Johnson now the head coach
of the Dolphins, most media speculation had former Bucs coach Sam
Wyche or Fox game analyst Jerry Glanville filling his role on
Fox's pregame show -- if the position is filled at all (THE
DAILY). USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke writes on Fox and ABC looking
to land next year's Cowboys-Dolphins game. Prime NewSport's Fred
Edelstein: "You've got Monday Night Football against Fox paying
a lot of money to the NFL. Cowboys-Dolphins would be a super
Monday night opener, but I believe Fox has the edge." Martzke
says a "likely result" is Fox getting the game for November
sweeps (USA TODAY, 1/12)....Millsport has been retained by the
SGMA to produce and market a full-length 60-minute TV special on
the '96 Super Show. The show is scheduled to air on ESPN this
spring (Millsport)....In his first "solo" interview in his new
job, CBS President Peter Lund spoke to the L.A. TIMES on making
the network "successful again." He said CBS is "very interested"
in a 24-hour cable news network and "intends to bid in two years"
for the NFL TV rights (L.A. TIMES, 1/12)....Execs in the digital
satellite industry say they face "an alarming new problem: an
underground trade in devices that decode the signals and let
customers grab the programming without paying for it" (WALL
STREET JOURNAL, 1/12).