Disney and Starwave "may soon complete an acquisition
begun nearly a year ago," according to Thomas Haines of the
SEATTLE TIMES. Disney invested an estimated $100M for a 30%
stake in WA-based Starwave last year, with an option to
purchase the rest over the next five years. Now, according
to one news report, "Disney may be close to exercising that
option." Disney Online spokesperson Rebecca Buxton: "We're
just not commenting on it" (SEATTLE TIMES, 3/25).
A FANTASY OR NIGHTMARE? Fantasy sports fans "could soon
be in for a rude awakening" if the Internet Gambling
Prohibition Act makes it past Congress, making Internet
gaming a federal crime, according to a report on MEDIA
DAILY. The Internet Consumers Choice Coalition said that
the bill's definition of wagering "includes online
rotisserie and fantasy sports leagues, hundreds of which are
available on the web." Because most fantasy sports leagues
require an upfront payment, participants in these leagues
would be committing felonies by the bill's definition (MEDIA
DAILY, 3/25)....In N.Y., Tom Watson features various fantasy
baseball sites on the Web under the header, "Net's A Natural
For Fantasy Baseball" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/26).
NOTES: The NHL's official Web site, nhl.com, recorded
9.1 million hits on March 24, the day of the trading
deadline, a single-day record for the site (NHL ICE)....ESPN
SportsZone has launched an electronic sports game section
that includes exclusive content from GameSpot Inc. The new
area features reviews, previews, demos, hints and tips on
the latest sports games (ESPN Internet Ventures).
