ESPN Star Sports Inks Landmark Five-Year Cricket Broadcast Deal

SYDNEY -- ESPN Star Sports will broadcast matches between the world’s top cricketing nations over the next five years under a new broadcast deal inked with Cricket Australia on Thursday.

The deal covers broadcast rights of India tours to Australia in 2014-15 and 2015-16, including tests and a tri series of one-day international matches between India, England and Australia, which is being pitched as the “clash of the titans." It also includes the Ashes tour between arch-rivals Australia and England as well as Australian tours of top cricket nations including South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies  and New Zealand. International and premium domestic cricket including Twenty20 series between India, England  and Australia are also in. The deal counts in total broadcasts of more than 191 days of live international cricket action from Australia, as well as 280 days of Australia’s domestic competitions.

The exclusive deal covers television, Internet, mobile and radio rights across the entire Asian region but not Australia and New Zealand.

It also marks the first time that ESPN Star Sports gets rights to showcase two India series.

“We are very pleased to announce this partnership with Cricket Australia with whom we share a very strong relationship. Australian Cricket has always been exciting and is played with utmost competitiveness in a super charged atmosphere which makes for every fan’s delight. It is therefore not surprising that it is called the ultimate test for any cricket player” ESPN Star Sports managing director Manu Sawhney said.

“We are delighted that a telecaster of ESPN Star Sports’ standing and class will be putting Australian cricket in front of so many cricket fans. ESPN Star Sports has been a wonderful and innovative partner for a long while and to be able to extend this critical partnership is great news for us all as well as for the cricket loving public," James Sutherland, Cricket Australia CEO added.

“With so many premium international series including two India tours and Ashes along with a robust mix of increasingly popular domestic tournaments, fans in the Indian sub-continent can look forward to top quality action from down under on ESPN Star Sports. Now, with such an enviable line-up of cricket including Cricket Australia, England & Wales Cricket Board, International Cricket Council and Champions League Twenty20, we are pleased to further strengthen our position as the biggest cricket network and the No.1 sports content provider in Asia.”

ESS also plans to broadcast Cricket Australia’s domestic cricket over 280 days, India’s upcoming tour of Australia starts Dec. 26, All the matches of this series will be televised live on STAR Cricket and STAR Cricket HD and the tri-series will also be broadcast on ESPN.