Next stop in ESPN’s European odyssey - new mobile versions of two of its sites. Rugby site ESPNScrum.com and motorsports site ESPNF1.com get the mobile web treatment. The latter is the rebranding we anticipated following ESPN’s acquisition of Racing-Live.com in August 2008. One by one, ESPN (NYSE: DIS) has renamed…

With the television industry buzzing over the possibilities of bringing 3D HD pictures to the living room as it heads to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, cable sports giant ESPN (NYSE: DIS) has gotten a jump on the field by announcing that it will launch a…

—7Digital: The mp3 retailer is adding its tracks to a new music initiative from US online marketplace Tradebit. Some five million DRM-free tracks will be available for download to US and German users via Paypal or Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Checkout. Tradebit claims to offer 10 million files for download. Release.…

—Publicis-Microsoft: Advertising group Publicis has signed an agreement to provide mobile ad technology and metrics across Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) properties MSN, Bing and the Microsoft Media Network. Publicis’ Phonevalley division, part of the VivaKi digital wing, will provide mobile ad “solutions” in six content areas such as retail, travel and…

What’s missing from ESPN’s UK soccer package? A website to go with the TV coverage. But the U.S. network has confirmed to us it is preparing a UK sports portal to accompany the broadcasts. We reported this month that the company was hiring senior online editorial staff to work at…

—ESPN: The sportscaster now has its channels on Tiscali TV, the ISP’s IPTV offering. Via Telecompaper. —Indy radio: Ever keen on affiliate relations, Independent.co.uk is adding widgets playing Kiss 100 and Magic 105.4, via an Independent-branded radio player. Via Mediaweek. —Eidos’ footy sim: It worked for Radiohead: UK games publisher…

—Sky Player ads BSkyB (NYSE: BSY) is adding online-only advertising to its live streaming TV site Sky Player. Until now the service has re-broadcast regular regular TV ads but a new scheme, Smart TV, will target users based on their personal data. Sky wants to roll out the technology to…

ESPN (NYSE: DIS) will enhance and expand its online sports sites as part of its launch as a UK sports broadcaster in August. The Disney-owned network, which today released details of its new UK channel, wants to use its English Premier League rights to mount a wider assault on the…

I’m sitting outside on a lovely Friday morning, sipping a cup of tea and catching up on the news. What’s wrong with this picture? It’s the final Friday of Wimbledon and I’m reduced to either watching a pirated feed from a place where the broadcasters value live sports or following…

Just as football clubs get rid of their under-performing players in the summer, BSkyB (NYSE: BSY) has shut down Rivals.net, a network of fansites covering all 92 Football League clubs and part of the Football365 group of sites it bought in 2007.

Forget the international date line. I crossed the international tennis line when I flew to the UK this weekend, leaving behind a place where I could follow most of Wimbledon live online at no charge on NBC, which even will stream the finals live, and ESPN (NYSE: DIS)  for one…

US sportscaster ESPN (NYSE: DIS) has achieved its long-standing ambition of establishing a major foothold in the UK and Europe by winning the rights to broadcast 46 live English Premier League rights next season and 23 games for three seasons starting in 2010/11. That’s all the rights in collapsing Setanta’s…

Two months after buying cricket news Cricinfo, ESPN has bought rugby info site Scrum.com, Reuters reported. Scrum.com claims to attract as many as 500,000 visitors each month at the height of the rugby season. ESPN will get an immediate shot in the arm from the purchase as the Rugby World…

From the Journal ... Walt Disney Co. is spending a reported $107-120 million (including debt assumption) to acquire the North American Sports Network (NASN) from Irish sports broadcaster Setanta Sports Holdings Ltd. and PE firm Benchmark Capital Europe; the net, founded by ex-pat lawyer Amory Schwartz in 2002, claims six…

—PS3 rivals gear up for holiday season: Sony’s European rivals won’t waste any time capitalising on the PS3 delays this Christmas season. Nintendo’s Wii launches in November, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has its first proper season and is expected to release a bolt-on HD DVD drive soon. The “female-friendly” Pink PS2…

—ESPN, Big East Sign 6-Year Deal: As of 2007-08 season, ESPN will have the rights to broadcast Big East basketball, football and some other sports on various ESPN networks; the basketball deal, which covers every inter-conference game, includes includes broadband net ESPN360. Release.—AOL Launches 75 Team Blogs: The new blogs…

ESPN is expanding its business internationally, targeting Canada, Europe and Latin America. “Mobile ESPN Publishing Worldwide distributes ESPN content to more than 200 handsets and 30 carriers in 20 countries on six continents and in four languages.” It will include “a variety of content-rich offerings, including sports news and information,…