BT is seeking to "regain its former status as Britain's dominant telecoms provider" with a £10B ($15.7B) acquisition of either the EE or O2 mobile networks -- "more than a decade after it spun out its own Cellnet division." BT on Monday confirmed it was in talks with EE's owners Orange and Deutsche Telekom, "as well as O2's parent company Telefónica of Spain, over a deal that would create a fixed and mobile telecoms powerhouse" in the U.K. (FINANCIAL TIMES, 11/24). ... Baku 2015 European Games announced it has signed broadcasting
agreements with five European countries. Deals are now in place that will see the inaugural European Games
screened in Albania, Belarus, Luxembourg, Moldova and Slovakia (Baku 2015). ... Chelsea and Man City launched "virtual keyboards for supporters." The app, which is free to download for Android devices, "gives fans an opportunity to turn their phones into a visual representation" of their club. Changeable color themes "are provided for both home and away fixtures" (London MIRROR, 11/24). ... Rugby 15, the top video game dedicated to rugby since Rugby World Cup 2011, has "combined the services" of three prominent personalities -- two from French TV network Canal+ and the other from TV network beIN Sports -- "rivals for the allocation of TV rights of French and European competitions." Video game publisher BigBen Interactive, which launched the game Friday, chose the Canal+ pair of Eric Bayle and Thomas Lombard for the commentary and former French rugby int'l Dimitri Yachvili, who is now a consultant on beIN Sports, as ambassador. Yachvili "will appear in the advertising spots broadcast during the official matches, in the days and weeks to come" (L’EQUIPE, 11/21).
