NFL: The NFL has entered into a two-year deal with Pay
Per View Japan, the PPV service on SKY PerfecTV!, which will
provide Japanese viewers with a selection of up to seven
live games each week during the '98 and '99 seasons. It
marks the first time a package of live NFL games will be
available digitally in Asia. Games will be available with
the original U.S. as well as Japanese commentary (NFL). NFL
Sunday Ticket debuted its stand-alone Web site at NFLsunday
ticket.com. The site, which is linked to NFL.com, offers
schedule listings and subscription information (NFL).
CNBC ON SPORTS TONIGHT: CNBC's "Business Center" will
examine pro sports tonight at 7:00pm ET, as Don Dahler leads
a report titled "Professional Sports: Bang or Bust" (CNBC).
NOTES: In Philadelphia, a discrimination suit
threatened by dismissed WIP-AM radio host Coz Carson is "on
hold." Carson's attorney said he hasn't been officially
informed that Carson has been terminated (PHILADELPHIA DAILY
NEWS, 7/30)....Paul Allen paid $4.4B in cash to acquire
Charter Communications, the 12th largest cable operator in
the U.S. Allen's advisor Michael Yagemann said that the
merger of Charter with Allen's Marcus Cable will create the
seventh-largest operator in the U.S., with a total
subscriber count of 2.4 million (DAILY VARIETY, 7/30)....In
N.Y., Jon Elsen reports that talks between NBC, USA Networks
and Seagram's Universal Studios "were terminated Tuesday,
after the execs tried to work out a deal that this time,
would directly involve Universal" (N.Y. POST, 7/30).