| NEW
DELHI: It is going to rain cricket in ESPN STAR Sports beginning June this year,
with 157 days of live cricket being shown in the sportscaster's three channels. This
will help the sports broadcaster achieve the targeted 100 per cent growth in affiliate
revenues this year itself. The
cricket season will last till September 2008, starting with the exclusive property
of India's tour of England and Australia, the first ever Twenty20 World Cup in
2007, the Asia Cup 2008 and the ICC Champions' Trophy in 2008. The
channels will telecast India's tour of England, encompassing four Test matches
and seven ODIs (July to September). This
will be followed by the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa (September).
India's tour
of Australia involves four test matches and a tri-series with Australia, Sri Lanka
and India, with 15 ODIs, which would also be telecast on the network (December
this year to March 2008). Says
ESS vice president Rajesh Kaul, "We have five big events including India's
tour of England, Australia as well as a tri-series. And along with the first ever
Twenty20 World Cup, the Asia Cup, ICC Champions trophy we are just talking cricket."
The
channel has already communicated that the company is targeting 100 per cent revenue
growth from cable sales. A
leading operator, on condition of anonymity, said that the sports broadcaster
is asking for a hefty increase, given the strong line-up of content and the launch
of the new channel, STAR Cricket. When
asked whether it is right to ask for such an increase, Kaul said, "We have
invested so much in acquiring these properties. It is logical for us to ask for
an increase." Elaborating
on the line up, ESS MD R C Venkateish says, "We are absolutely delighted
to bring this lip-smacking line-up of events to millions of cricket fans in India
and elsewhere. With some of the biggest tournaments like the Twenty20 World Cup,
the Asia Cup and the Champions' Trophy and India's much awaited tours of Australia
and England, the Indian cricket viewers will have enough reasons to celebrate
with ESPN STAR Sports." Apart
from these, the non-Indian cricket matches comprising West Indies' tour of Zimbabwe,
involving two test matches and three ODIs, and Australian tours of Sri Lanka and
New Zealand will also be telecast on ESPN STAR Sports between September and December. ESS
will also be showcasing Live from Pakistan in the Asia Cup, involving 13 One-day
Internationals in May 2008. Besides,
ESS will also present the great cricket battle, ICC Champions Trophy, bringing
it Live from Pakistan with 15 ODIs in September next year. The
channel is focusing a lot on soccer, the second most watched sport in the country,
and something that is gathering momentum, Kaul said. ESS
plans to broadcast premier soccer in the coming season with Live telecast of the
English Premier League and the Spanish Primera Liga, both of which have seen rising
viewership graphs in recent months, partly ascribable to relative lack of popularity
of Indian cricket. ESS
has extended its agreement with the FA Premier League (FAPL), for the exclusive
broadcast of the Barclays English Premier League (EPL) for the Indian subcontinent
through 2010. It
has a multi-year agreement with Spanish Primera Liga to deliver full and exclusive
broadcast rights of Spanish Soccer league in India till 2009. The
channel will also telecast one of the biggest soccer tournaments from Europe -
UEFA EURO 2008 in June next year. ESS
also have an array of non-cricket properties like F1 and A1 in Motor Sports, Grand
Slam Tennis action from the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, the Premier
Hockey League and best of action from the world of golf and wrestling. | 
