NFL INTERNET RIGHTS UP FOR GRABS

The National Football League may not plan to stream live games on the Web, but its Internet presence still waters the mouths of many. The league is reportedly in negotiations with AOL Time Warner, Viacom and CBS Sportsline to sell its Internet rights for $110 million in a five-year deal. Disney's ESPN.com had held the league's Web rights, but the contract expired in May.

OLYMPICS SIGN WEB HOST

Speaking of sports, the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee inked a deal with MSNBC.com and Microsoft's MSN Network to host the 2002 Winter Olympic games on the Web. The committee is optimistically projecting ?the largest online audience in history for a sports event.? The site will be promoted during Olympic telecasts by NBC, CNBC and MSNBC.

STREAM BECOMES A TORRENT

Just because companies can't figure out how to make money off of streaming video doesn't mean they intend to stop trying. Despite the Net collapse and the stalling economy, video streaming on the Web increased 204% in the first three months of this year compared to the same period of 2000, according to research firm DFC Intelligence. The company forecasts a total of 1.8 billion video streams on the Net this year, with 48% of them on broadband connections.

INTERACTIVE MONSTER

Warner Bros. online is further blurring the line between movies and interactive games with its launch of SteppenWolf: The X Creatures Project on its own site and on Netscape.com, also owned by AOL Time Warner. The animated stories, which involve hunting for mythical creatures such as the Loch Ness monster, are advanced in part by participants solving logic-based puzzles.

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