The Anschutz Entertainment Group is no longer for sale and longtime president Tim Leiweke is leaving the company “by mutual decision.”

“From the very beginning of the sales process, we have made it clear to our employees and partners throughout the world that unless the right buyer came forward with a transaction on acceptable terms, we would not sell the company,” Phil Anschutz said in a statement Thursday.

Dan Beckerman was promoted from COO and CFO to president, replacing Leiweke, who had been with AEG since 1996.

“We appreciate the role Tim has played in the development of AEG, and thank him for the many contributions he has made to the Company,” Anschutz added. “We wish him well in his new endeavors.”

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All kinds of people are already on board for Variety’s Sports Entertainment Summit at the Loews Hollywood Hotel July 12, including ex-Laker Rick Fox, CAA agent Becky Sendrow, Grantland’s Bill Simmons and NBC Summer Olympics correspondent Michelle Beadle.

Today, the publication announced that in addition to making a keynote address, AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke will receive its inaugural Sports and Entertainment Leadership Award:

Under Leiweke’s guidance over the last 17 years, AEG has become one of the world’s top presenters of sports and entertainment across its varied venue, live event and professional sports franchise ownership interests… As owner of the LA Kings, AEG recently gave the city a momentous victory with the team winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in its 45-year franchise history.

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Solid shared scoop late this afternoon from the gang at Broadcasting & Cable.

Per their report, Mark Cuban has decided to rebrand his HDNet channel as AXS TV (as in “Access” TV) in partnership with AEG, CAA and Ryan Seacrest Media.

The new channel is scheduled to kick off in June, with expanded DISH distribution already in place. From the B&C report:

As part of the agreement with DISH, the satellite operator will make AXS-branded concerts available on VOD starting March 15…

AXS will capitalize on AEG’s presence in live events and affiliation with more than 100 of the industry’s venues around the world to “connect audiences with the complete live experience,” from show creation to rehearsals, sound-check, performance and after-party, according to the companies involved.

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Sports Illustrated senior writer Grant Wahl has a solid look today at the recent international media fuss over David Beckham. Although the 36-year-old MLS star and LA Galaxy have yet to re-sign on the dotted line, all indications are that the master of the feather-touch pass plans on remaining stateside rather than joining Paris St. Germain.

The last bullet point in Wahl’s blog item asks, ‘How did the French media get the story so wrong?’ He suggests that both Beckham’s reps and Galaxy owner Tim Leiweke probably had something to do with it:

Some really good French outlets got caught with their culottes down… One big reason is that it was in Beckham’s interest to encourage the speculation and receive as big an offer as possible from PSG so that he would get the best offer possible from the Galaxy. At the same time, Leiweke gave no access to the French media, which underestimated Leiweke’s ability to get things done. Big mistake…

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What’s the fun of a 2011 Power List if a reader can’t revamp it?

That seems to be the thinking of Los Angeles Downtown News executive editor Jon Regardie. After sharing his picks earlier this week for the 42 most powerful people in the corner of town that Tom Gilmore helped build, he is asking readers to chime in with their Top Ten remix. The best such lists will be shared in a future issue of the free weekly publication.

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