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WHAT DOES BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S MOVE MEAN FOR ENGLISH SOCCER?

          After the British government ruled Friday that it was
     blocking BSkyB's $1B bid for Manchester United (See THE
     DAILY, 4/9), BSkyB CEO Mark Booth said, "This is a bad
     ruling for British football clubs, who will have to compete
     in Europe against clubs who are backed by successful media
     companies."  In London, David Milward reported that
     Britain's Trade & Industry Secretary Stephen Byers said it
     would not be in the public interest to approve BSkyB's bid,
     as the broadcaster, 40% owned by Rupert Murdoch's News
     Corp., holds TV rights to cover English Premier Soccer
     games, which include Manchester United.  The decision
     "called into question other purchases of leading clubs by
     broadcasters in preparation for the advent of pay-per-view
     matches."  One bid under scrutiny is cable broadcaster NTL's
     for Newcastle United (TELEGRAPH, 4/10).  The TELEGRAPH's
     Steve Curry wrote that "the belief of Manchester United is
     that media and leisure groups would now be reluctant to step
     into the void left by the decision" (TELEGRAPH, 4/11).  But
     the TELEGRAPH's Mihir Bose wrote that big media companies
     will continue to "seek to influence football's television
     market" and the "love affair between media companies and the
     bigger clubs may have only just started" (TELE., 4/10).
          WHAT IT MEANS: In DC, Paul Farhi wrote BSkyB gave "no
     indication that it would appeal" the decision, and he called
     the "rejection" of BSkyB and Murdoch "striking not just
     because his offer for the team was the richest ever for a
     sports franchise ... rather, Murdoch's attempt to buy the
     soccer team was freighted with an unusual mix of national
     politics, media control, antitrust law and deep fan
     resentment."  The rejection "was a surprise in view of
     Murdoch's enormous political influence" (WASH. POST, 4/10). 
     

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