WICB, Ten Sports in New Cricket Distribution Deal

MUMBAI, February 28: Taj
TV’s Ten Sports has reached an agreement with the West Indies Cricket Board
(WICB) to distribute television coverage of all cricket played in the West
Indies between 2008 and 2012.

Under the new deal, Ten
Sports will air the cricket events on its channels in the Indian sub-continent,
the Middle East and South East Asia and will distribute the events worldwide,
with the exception of the U.K. and Ireland, where Sky Sports has the rights,
and in the Caribbean.

The tours included in the
agreement feature visits by India in 2009 and 2012, by Pakistan in 2011,
England's tour to the West Indies in 2009, Australia's tour in 2012 and South
Africa's tour in 2010.

In total, Ten Sports will
broadcast 25 test matches, 50 one-day games and nine 20-20 games between 2008
and 2012 (a total of 184 days), including the upcoming 2008 tour by Australia
to the West Indies, which was part of a previous agreement between the
companies.

Ten Sports currently holds
the Middle East and Asian broadcast rights to five of the ten International
Cricket Council (ICC) full-member boards and is now involved in the worldwide
distribution of rights from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the West Indies.

Chris McDonald, the CEO of
Ten Sports, commented: “We are thrilled to extend our partnership with the West
Indies Cricket Board for another five years. We have been broadcasting the
excitement, style and panache of cricket from the West Indies throughout Asia
since 2003, and are very pleased to now work with the WICB on a global basis. The
West Indian team has many young and talented players, and we are confident that
with the investments made into coaching, venues and grassroots infrastructure,
the West Indies is poised to reclaim its place as one of the world's top
cricketing sides.”

—By Irene Lew