Setanta Bags Indian Cricket Rights

LONDON, February 26: In a
five-year deal, Setanta Sports has secured the exclusive rights to the Indian
Premier League, the new Twenty20 cricket competition.

Setanta’s exclusive live
coverage will start with all 59 games of the inaugural Indian Premier League
season that takes place across India from April 18 to June 1.

The eight teams involved
in the tournament—Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata,
Mohali and Mumbai—have attracted well-known Indian cricket players such
as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly; they will all be featured
alongside cricket legends such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Muttiah
Muralitharan, Jacques Kallis and Adam Gilchrist.

The Indian Premier
League’s first season will kick off on Friday, April 18, with Bangalore vs.
Kolkata and conclude with the final in Mumbai on Sunday, June 1. Each team will
play each other twice, with the top four teams competing in semi-finals on May
30 and May 31. The majority of the fixtures will be day-night matches, and
Setanta will feature live coverage of each game. As the games will start at
9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. (GMT), Setanta will ensure the games are
repeated in peak time to maximize the audience able to view this tournament.

Trevor East, Setanta’s director
of sport, said: "The Indian Premier League is
going to be massive. We're absolutely thrilled to acquire these rights and add
another major sport to Setanta's program lineup. Twenty20 cricket has been a
phenomenal success and this tournament with all its world-class players is sure
to capture the imagination of sports fans young and old. I firmly believe the
IPL will become a highlight of the international sporting calendar for years to
come. That's why we've shown our commitment to it by signing a five-year
deal."

“We are delighted to have
concluded this landmark deal with Setanta, the U.K.’s fastest-growing sports
network, on its first major international cricket property,” commented Seamus
O’Brien, the president and CEO of World Sport Group, the global media rights
holder of the IPL.

Added O’Brien, “The IPL,
which is set to become one of the top sports leagues in the world, featuring
some of the finest international stars of the modern game, is a natural fit for
Setanta, itself the rising star of the U.K. sports broadcast market.”

Setanta Sports is
available for £9.99 a month to satellite viewers via a Freeview box or an iDTV
viewing card adaptor (CAM) and on BT Vision and Tiscali. Virgin Media XL pack
subscribers can see Setanta for no additional charge, while M and L pack
subscribers can add the Setanta Sports Pack for £9.99 per month.

—By Irene Lew