ICC Pacts with ESPN for On-Demand Highlights

LONDON/DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has inked a pair of deals with global companies, including a pact with ESPN for distribution of digital on-demand highlights.

ICC’s four-year agreement with ESPN, which covers the U.K. and Ireland, is effective immediately. The deal is for eight events, among them the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016, the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. It will allow ESPN to show in-progress, pre-match and post-match highlights across all ESPN-branded websites and mobile apps.

Charly Classen, the VP and general manager of ESPN Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “We are extremely proud of our coverage of international and domestic cricket, and are delighted we can expand that coverage with near-live in-match clips and full post-match highlights from the biggest tournaments in the sport. We are thrilled to expand on our longstanding relationship with the International Cricket Council in the U.K. and Republic of Ireland. With these highlights alongside our ball-by-ball coverage, ESPN will be offering cricket fans the perfect way to follow all of the action from the upcoming ICC World T20 and beyond.”

Additionally the Tinopolis Group’s Sunset+Vine followed up its recent win of the ICC’s live-events production services with the acquisition of the ICC’s non-live programming. Both contracts are from 2016 to 2019. The non-live programming deal covers 20 programming elements, and includes the ICC’s flagship magazine program, ICC Cricket 360⁰, as well as pre-event promotional content that will be aired by the ICC’s global broadcasters. The contract covers both men’s and women’s programming over a four-year period, starting immediately. It also covers the production of the Official Highlights and Official Film for each major event.

Jeff Foulser, the chairman of Sunset+Vine, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to have now been recognized for the quality of our non-live programming production with the award of this significant contract from the ICC. We’re committed to delivering world class and comprehensive programming that best represents the ICC’s cricket interests, and look forward to starting work immediately.”

Campbell Jamieson, the general manager of commercial at ICC, said: “ICC looks forward to strengthening its relationship with Sunset+Vine as both live and non-live content creation become a joint venture for us moving forward. We are sure that the appointment of S+V will create a consolidated and accomplished product for all ICC TV output, which will delight and engage fans the world over.”