| MUMBAI:
UK broadcaster ITV has bought the television rights for the Indian Premier League
(IPL), marking the return of cricket on the network after a gap of 30 years.
ITV will air all the 60 matches live and free-to-air on channel ITV4 from 12 March.
The matches will also be simulcast on ITV.com and ITV Mobile. Highlight
clips will be available as part of a 'bespoke section' of ITV.com. The tournament
will be the subject of a prominent marketing campaign on ITV. Says
IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi, "This is a hugely significant deal
for the IPL, given the large Indian and Asian diaspora. Cricket has a massive
following in the UK and this landmark agreement is fantastic for those fans, for
IPL and cricket as a whole." Earlier,
the UK IPL rights were with Setanta Sports, which succumbed to bankruptcy and
shut down last year. There was, thus, no other broadcasting rights holder of IPL
in UK. Adds
Modi, "IPL is a truly global competition unlike any other in cricket and
is ideally suited to the British passion for both cricket and entertainment. We
are delighted that ITV has recognised the game’s appeal and are certain that
it will pull out all the stops in ensuring that our fans have access to creative,
innovative and enriching content that will be available in full, free to air,
throughout the UK." ITV
will have Mandira Bedi and Matt Smith presenting the coverage. | 
