ESPN STAR Sports to Broadcast New Sri Lankan Cricket Tournament

SINGAPORE: ESPN STAR Sports has picked up the broadcast rights for India and a number of other markets to the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) in a multiyear deal that kicks off with the first edition of the tournament this August.

The pact includes a minimum of 24 matches per season. The Sri Lanka Premier League begins August 11 as seven teams compete for the trophy and a slot in the qualifiers for the Champions League Twenty20 to be held later this year. STAR Cricket, STAR Sports and ESPN will broadcast all the matches live and exclusively in India. The deal also covers broadcast rights in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Nepal, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Peter Hutton, the managing director of ESPN STAR Sports, noted, “We are delighted to be able to telecast the live matches of the SLPL in India and throughout the region. It is an excellent addition to STAR Cricket’s remarkable catalogue of content in the next year, headlined by India’s home series against Pakistan, England and New Zealand, the ICC World T20, the Champions League T20 and the ICC Champions Trophy. Sri Lanka cricket becomes the 6th cricket body with whom we are working on the shortest form of the game. Our coverage of Australia’s Big Bash and the T20 leagues in England and Bangladesh have already shown our commitment to the format, and we look to further growing our live cricket content."