IMG and SFX Entertainment have "entered competing
ventures that will auction off high-priced sports and
entertainment experiences via the Internet," according to
Andy Bernstein of the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL.
Ultimatebid.com, a company partially owned by IMG along with
some "prominent Silicon Valley investors," and SFX Sports
Group's ESuperstars.com, will both launch early next year.
SFX is "still in discussions with an unnamed potential
Internet partner in the venture, and company officials said
that not all of the plans have been finalized." IMG has a
minority interest in Ultimatebid.com and will "serve as a
major content provider by setting up deals for its athletes
and properties to be the stars of the fantasy experiences."
The two "competing sites will differ" in that
ESuperstars.com will "feature SFX athletes and events almost
exclusively while Ultimatebid.com will use a variety of
content providers and is free to involve any number of
sports marketing or talent agencies." For more, see this
week's issue of the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL (11/22 issue).
CAPS MAKE GAINS ON WEB: In DC, Eric Fisher reported
that seven weeks into the NHL season, the Capitals' Web site
"has ascended into one of the NHL's five most heavily
trafficked team sites." Before the site launched October 1,
Capitals Owner Ted Leonsis said his goal for the site was to
outdraw that of the Flyers, which generates "more than 1.3
million page views a month." Leonsis noted the Caps' site
has already topped that (WASHINGTON TIMES, 11/18).
