BSkyB faces rival bids for satellite sport

Two big media companies, Pearson and MAI, have confirmed they are interested in launching bids for rights to broadcast sports by satellite.

Industry sources believe this could include a bid next year for Premiership football, in an attempt to poach it from Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB but the companies said that, though they want to expand in the area, they had no firm plans.

Pearson and MAI's likely move into satellite sport is seen as a pre- emptive attack against an attempt by BSKyB to gain a strong position in continental European markets, particularly Germany and Italy.