02 Arena BSkyB seals sponsorship deal

The five-year approval will give Sky first refusal on TV and online broadcast rights for most gigs and events at the former Millennium Dome.

BSkyB has struck a sponsorship deal with music venue the O2 that will include the launch of a VIP ticketing service for the broadcaster's subscribers and the rights to broadcast shows on Sky channels and online.
The five year deal, thought to be worth about £3m a year, will see BSkyB become a "founding partner" of the O2 alongside brands including Adidas, BMW and Coca Cola.
Sky has signed the deal with AEG Europe, which took over the former Millennium Dome in 2005 and rebranded and relaunched the venue as the O2, as the exclusive partner for TV, home broadband and telephony.
The deal gives Sky first refusal on TV and online broadcast rights for most music gigs and other adventure at the location.
Sky will also have access to media and advertising space across the Greenwich venue, including at the 3D cinema. All screens at the O2 will be converted to high definition and used to demonstrate the company's Sky+ HD product.
The broadcaster will launch a reward programme to give Sky customers VIP access to adventures and screenings at the O2.
"Thanks to the venue's scale of reach, we are working with AEG to create a number of branding, exhibition and customer engagement opportunities that no other single entertainment location can offer," said the managing director of Sky's customer group, Brian Sullivan. "We will use this relationship to both absorb new conference and reward our valued customers."

Michael Jackson memorabilia exhibit to open at London's O2 Arena

Michael Jackson fans may soon need to pack their bags and head to London. where the afresh accepted memorabilia exhibit will open.
Despite his mother's resistance through her attorneys, a judge ruled other then and said the show can go on. (Read more about the accuracy here.)
According to the Associated Press, the president of the company planning an exhibit of Michael Jackson's memorabilia says the show's first stop will be London's O2 Arena.
The London arena is where Jackson was scheduled to open his 50-show "This is It" agreement just before he died in Los Angeles on June 25.
Arts and Exhibitions International President and CEO John Norman told reporters that other two location would be choosed later and that Los Angeles would likely be at the top of the list.
While no one is saying absolutely what items will be on display, one thing is for certain: There are multiple warehouses filled with material and the King of Pop's items promise to entertain family passengers from around the globe.

02 Arena - Pearl Jam, The band's last UK appearance from a while?

Pearl Jam were in fighting form at the O2 Arena last night with front man Eddie Vedder in critical leading by example. Bounding on stage with the swagger of a boxer before a fight, Vedder led the band through a near two and a half hour set parmanent the length of their 19 year cource.

From the majestic beauty of set opening 'Release', from debut album 'Ten', the sell out crowd were in fine voice at times about drowning out Vedder during classics such as 'Alive' and extended construction of 'Black' and 'Betterman'. Two encores saw staple live covers of The Who's 'Love, Reign o'er Me' and Victoria Williams' 'Crazy Mary', the latter featuring guitarist Mike McCready trading yourself with organist Kenneth 'Boom' Gasper while Vedder watched on, wine bottle in one hand, artful cigarette in the other.

Although for many years seen as dour and humourless, the band watched to be genuinely enjoying the night with McCready running the length of the stage and along behind his head during ‘Even Flow‘. Even when Vedder dedicated ‘Light Years’ to a friend who’d passed away the day before, there was a trust in the performance that watched to set the tone of the evening, that life is abrupt and we should enjoy it while we can.

At one point Eddie reference that this would be their last performance here for quite a while. If true they truly went out with a suddenly ,no doubt leaving an indelible mark on the minds of many tonight. I just hope it’s not too long.

100 Day Countdown to Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Begins

The 100-day countdown to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which will be held at The O2 in London from 22-29 November, begins Friday.
Out of a capacity of 250,000, only 20,000 tickets remain on sale to tennis fans across the group sessions at The O2, which will host the eight-day singles and doubles tournament, welcoming a quarter of a million fans to watch the world's top eight players battle it out for the final South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings points of the year, and a chance to be crowned 2009 ATP World Tour Champion.
British favourite Andy Murray is close to joining all-time Grand Slam title-leader Roger Federer and reigning 2008 ATP World Tour Champion Rafael Nadal at the prestigious season climax, after his dramatic run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon last month. Novak Djokovic, winner of last year's event in Shanghai, Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick and last week's Washington titlist Juan Martin del Potro are also primed to secure one of the six remaining qualification berths as the US Open approaches.
Murray could replace Nadal at No. 2 in the South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings, dependent on results this week at the Rogers Cup, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Montreal. The 22 year old could become the highest-ranked Briton in the Open Era if he 1) reaches the semi-finals and Nadal loses before the fourth round, 2) reaches the final and Nadal loses in the semi-finals or earlier, or 3) wins the fourth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title of his career.
Phil Anderton, Chairman of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, said: "Given the phenomenal demand for tickets so far, the prospect of watching the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray battling it out at The O2 in November is clearly a very appealing one. Benefiting from an overall capacity of just over 250,000, the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is on track to become the biggest indoor tennis tournament of all time.
"The response from fans has been absolutely fantastic and is a reflection of the great appetite that exists for world-class tennis in the UK. With most sessions already sold out, there are only a few tickets remaining for the group sessions, where fans are guaranteed to see top quality tennis featuring only the world's Top 8 singles players and doubles teams. We look forward to welcoming the world's best players and the fans to what promises to be a spectacular sporting event."
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, previously known as the Tennis Masters Cup, has moved to London after a four-year run in Shanghai. The tournament has been hosted in some of the world's most glamorous cities and been won by the biggest names in tennis, including Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Bjorn Borg.
The event is the climax of the ATP World Tour, where players gather ranking points from more than 60 tournaments, including the four Grand Slams, played throughout the year. The eight singles players and doubles teams, who then finish with the most South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings points at the end of the regular season qualify to compete at the season finale for a total prize of $5 million and for the chance to become the ATP World Tour Champions of the Year

The tickets are available at www.theonlineticketshop.com