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MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has renewed the England and
Wales Cricket Board (ECB) rights for seven years.
This
will include the multi-platform rights to broadcast its domestic
and international matches in England.
The
deal, which runs from 2013 to 2019, incorporates rights for
television, online, mobile and radio, covering India, Pakistan,
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh among others across Asia. The broadcast
arrangement also includes territories in North Africa.
As a part of this agreement, ESS will broadcast more than
300 days of live International cricket action, including 47
Test Matches, 63 One Day Internationals and 15 Twenty20 games.
Key
highlights of this new agreement include India's next two
tours to England in 2014 and 2018 as well as three Ashes series
in 2013, 2015 and 2019.
Major
Test playing nations will be competing in England, including
New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies and
South Africa.
In
addition, ESS will broadcast 60 days of ECB's domestic cricket
every year, including the Friends Life T20 competition, the
CB40 tournament, the LV=County Championship, as well as England
Lions, England Under 19s and England Women's cricket. Specifically
for the Indian subcontinent, the exciting cricket action will
be available during prime time making it a very interesting
proposition for fans and advertisers alike.
ESS
MD Manu Sawhney said, "We are delighted to further extend
our partnership with ECB with whom we have shared a very strong
relationship over the past two decades."
ECB
CEO David Collier said, "This new agreement demonstrates
the enormous appetite for cricket worldwide and the global
pulling power of a successful England team and a vibrant County
game.
"In
a challenging economic climate with all sports facing tough
competition for funding streams, it will also provide an important
source of additional revenue for funding the development of
our game at all levels.
"TV
audiences for cricket are expanding rapidly in Asia and the
Middle-East and we look forward to working closely with ESS
to give both our international and county teams the widest
possible TV exposure over the next seven years."
ESS
had earlier renewed its deal with Cricket Australia in December
2011. That was the first time that a broadcast deal with Cricket
Australia gave ESS rights to showcase two India series. India
is slated to play four Test matches and a tri-series with
England as the third team in the 2014-2015 season. This tri-series,
featuring India, Australia and England and scheduled right
before the ICC World Cup in 2015 is already looked upon as
the signature event of the year and is positioned as the 'Clash
of the Titans'. India will visit Australia again for7 ODIs
and2 Twenty20 matches in the year 2015-2016. More recently
Star india had bagged the rights for india cricket. Those
rights will be sub licensed to ESS gioving the broadcaster
a dominant position in cricket.
ESS
over the next 13 months, will have over 400 match days of
cricket starting with the ongoing West Indies' tour of England
to all the way to ICC Champions Trophy in England in June
2013.
Also
Read:
ESS
retains England cricket rights for $200 mn
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