MUMBAI: ESPN International has entered into a cricket distribution agreement with ESPN Star Sports (ESS) for International Cricket Council (ICC) events and the Champions League Twenty20 for the Caribbean market, ESPN Caribbean and Maritime Media vice president Bernard Stewart announced.

The development comes in the wake of ESPN exiting the Asian market after selling its stake to News Corp in the Asian sports broadcasting joint venture ESPN Star Sports. Post the clearance of the stake sale, ESPN will be present in Asia through its digital media products.

The ICC agreement is a four-year deal from 2012 to 2015 and covers several ICC events, including the global showpiece of the cricket calendar, the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The distribution agreement covers terrestrial, cable, satellite and new media platform rights. ICC programming will be presented on two ESPN Caribbean television networks--ESPN Caribbean and ESPN 2 Caribbean-- and on ESPNPlay.com, the region?s recently launched broadband network for live sports programming.

The Champions League Twenty20 agreement extends ESPN?s current three-year deal by three more years covering 2013-2015. The agreement covers all of ESPN Caribbean?s media platforms including the two networks, ESPN Caribbean and ESPN 2 Caribbean, and ESPNPlay.com.

?We are delighted to again showcase talented cricketers from the West Indies who will play in the ICC World Twenty20 and the Champions League Twenty20 later this year, as well as the crown jewel of cricket ? the ICC Cricket World Cup ? in 2015,? Stewart said. ?Cricket is essential to our programming in the West Indies and has a dynamic following there. This long-term agreement reinforces our commitment to providing world-class cricket to Caribbean fans.?

ESPN Caribbean?s upcoming cricket coverage includes the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup in Tony Ireland Stadium, Townsville, Australia from 10-25 August; the ICC World Twenty 20 in Sri Lanka from 18 September-7 October; and the Champions League Twenty20 in October.

The Champions League Twenty20 brings the best club teams from top cricket playing nations, including the West Indies, Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa, together in one of the major cricket competitions worldwide. Organisers have announced that Pakistan and other nations will be added this year.

The winner of the Caribbean Twenty20 ? to which ESPN Caribbean holds the rights through 2013 ? will represent the West Indies in the CLT20. Trinidad and Tobago, the 2011 representative, will return this year.

?We have succeeded in securing some very significant long-term broadcast partnerships for the ICC events and we are very pleased to be working with ESPN to showcase an exciting calendar of ICC cricket events in this cricket market,? said ESS SVP corporate development & cricket rights Anurag Dahiya.

MUMBAI: Rupert Murdoch?s News Corp. is busy creating a global sports broadcasting powerhouse. Soon after buying out ESPN?s stake in Asian sports broadcasting joint venture ESPN Star Sports, it has now gobbled up James Packer?s stake in Fox Sports.

News Corp. has made a $1.99 billion bid for a complete takeover of Australian billionaire Packer?s Consolidated Media Holdings, which holds 50 per cent of Fox Sports and 25 per cent of Foxtel.

The proposal, subject to regulatory approvals from Australian authorities, will give News Corp?s Australian subsidiary News Limited a complete ownership of Fox Sports with a 50 per cent stake in pay TV operator Foxtel.

Foxtel is half owned by Australian telecom and media company Telstra Corporation, with Rupert Murdoch?s News Corporation and Consolidated Media each holding a 25 per cent stake. Fox Sports is an equal joint venture partnership between Consolidated Media and News Corp.

Packer, son of late Kerry Packer, executive chairman of Consolidated Media?s largest shareholder, said: "CPH welcomes News? proposal and looks forward to CMH and News working together to address the detailed terms and conditions. Subject to this CPH, considering the offer price of $3.50 per share to be fair, will support the Proposal in the absence of a superior cash offer."

The deal will give Packer the capital to build war chest for his capital intensive casino business. He owns stakes in casinos in Australia, London, Macau and Las Vegas.

News Corp also has big plans for the US market where it is planning to launch a national sports network on cable television to take on Walt Disney-owned network ESPN, the dominant player in that market.

The company is considering converting its action-sports network Fuel to the new channel that would compete not just with ESPN but also with NBC?s and CBS?s sports networks.

In Asia, it has already become the dominant pay TV operator with the acquisition of ESPN?s stake in ESS.

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MUMBAI: The English Premier League has reaffirmed its position as the most popular football league in the world following a record breaking television deal worth ?3.018 billion with pay TV broadcaster Sky Sports and British Telecom for the UK market.

BSkyB, which has built its British sports broadcasting business on the back of Premier League, has secured five of the seven packages totalling 116 matches while British Telecom has secured two packages totalling up to 38 matches for seasons 2013/14 to 2015/16.

The deal represents an increase of ?1.25 billion on the current broadcast settlement, which shares rights between BSkyB and ESPN, which has lost out on the rights this time around despite a strong bid. Sky will fork out ?2.3 billion for the audio-visual rights over the three year period, while BT will pay ?738 million.

ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has the exclusive rights to broadcast the Barclays Premier League (BPL) on multiple platforms in 18 markets across Asia including: India, Indonesia, East Timor, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, North & South Korea, The Philippines, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and in partnership with Astro for Malaysia & Brunei.

Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore said, "As ever, the security provided by broadcast revenues will enable our clubs to continue to invest in all aspects of their football activities and plan sustainably for the foreseeable future. This deal allows them to keep delivering what fans want; top quality football in some of world?s best club stadia and an increasing focus on and commitment to areas such as Youth Development."

MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports, the exclusive Asian rights holder for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) domestic and home international matches, has entered into an agreement with Al Jazeera Sport for the television broadcast rights of the Friends Life Twenty20 2012.

The deal marks a significant landmark for cricket broadcasting in the Middle East and North Africa with Al Jazeera Sport televising cricket for the first time ever with live coverage of 25 matches from ECB?s domestic Twenty20 league scheduled to take place from 12 June to 25 August.

Covering terrestrial, cable and satellite television rights, the collaboration between Asian sports content provider and the biggest sport broadcaster in the Pan-Arab & Mena region will bring the exciting action from the Friends Life Twenty20 available to numerous cricket fans in the region.

ESS SVP corporate development & cricket rights Anurag Dahiya said, ?We are very pleased with the strong interest shown by Al Jazeera Sports in cricket. These arrangements promise to extend the popularity and reach of ECB?s events with the aim of raising the profile of the sport in the region, building on from last year?s highly successful ICC Cricket World Cup.?

ESPN Star Sports licenses ECB broadcast rights throughout North Africa and the Middle East along with various other parts of Asia. In addition, ESS? international cricket syndication business includes global distribution of marquee properties such as International Cricket Council events & Champions League T20 as well as Cricket Australia?s events (in Asia and North Africa).

ESS had recently renewed its media rights deal with ECB for Asian market after committing to pay a premium of $200 million for the seven year deal that runs till 2019.

MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has renewed the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) rights for seven years.

This will include the multi-platform rights to broadcast its domestic and international matches in England.

The deal, which runs from 2013 to 2019, incorporates rights for television, online, mobile and radio, covering India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh among others across Asia. The broadcast arrangement also includes territories in North Africa.

As a part of this agreement, ESS will broadcast more than 300 days of live International cricket action, including 47 Test Matches, 63 One Day Internationals and 15 Twenty20 games.

Key highlights of this new agreement include India?s next two tours to England in 2014 and 2018 as well as three Ashes series in 2013, 2015 and 2019.

Major Test playing nations will be competing in England, including New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa.

In addition, ESS will broadcast 60 days of ECB?s domestic cricket every year, including the Friends Life T20 competition, the CB40 tournament, the LV=County Championship, as well as England Lions, England Under 19s and England Women?s cricket. Specifically for the Indian subcontinent, the exciting cricket action will be available during prime time making it a very interesting proposition for fans and advertisers alike.

ESS MD Manu Sawhney said, "We are delighted to further extend our partnership with ECB with whom we have shared a very strong relationship over the past two decades."

ECB CEO David Collier said, "This new agreement demonstrates the enormous appetite for cricket worldwide and the global pulling power of a successful England team and a vibrant County game.

"In a challenging economic climate with all sports facing tough competition for funding streams, it will also provide an important source of additional revenue for funding the development of our game at all levels.

"TV audiences for cricket are expanding rapidly in Asia and the Middle-East and we look forward to working closely with ESS to give both our international and county teams the widest possible TV exposure over the next seven years."

ESS had earlier renewed its deal with Cricket Australia in December 2011. That was the first time that a broadcast deal with Cricket Australia gave ESS rights to showcase two India series. India is slated to play four Test matches and a tri-series with England as the third team in the 2014-2015 season. This tri-series, featuring India, Australia and England and scheduled right before the ICC World Cup in 2015 is already looked upon as the signature event of the year and is positioned as the ?Clash of the Titans?. India will visit Australia again for7 ODIs and2 Twenty20 matches in the year 2015-2016. More recently Star india had bagged the rights for india cricket. Those rights will be sub licensed to ESS gioving the broadcaster a dominant position in cricket.

ESS over the next 13 months, will have over 400 match days of cricket starting with the ongoing West Indies? tour of England to all the way to ICC Champions Trophy in England in June 2013.

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MUMBAI: Gearing up for the London Olympics, leading Asian sports network ESPN Star Sports will offer extensive broadcast of the Olympic Games with more than 3,800 hours of coverage across 15 channels which includes round-the-clock coverage on ESPN, Star Sports, ESPN HD and ESPNEWS during the Games.

The London Olympics will be held from 27 July to 12 August.

The coverage will also comprise 10 dedicated high-definition ESS channels covering the London 2012 Olympic Games live. In addition, key events will be showcased in 3D for the very first time on ESPN Star Sports? 3D channel.

The broadcaster had secured the exclusive non-standard television rights including cable & satellite television from the International Olympic Committee for the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games for 22 countries across the Indian subcontinent and South East Asia.

In the lead up to the event the broadcaster will showcase more than 660 hours of comprehensive programming which will showcase stories behind the Olympic milestones, and iconic feats that have left a legacy in the history of sports including historical archive footage chronicling the last two decades, as well as exclusive athlete interviews.

Headlining the list of programmes is ESS? exclusively-produced new documentary series ?Living the Dream? that focuses on the best sporting talents from Asia and their Olympic aspirations, starting 3 June. Hosted by SportsCenter anchor Christy Simson, the extensively researched eight-part programme follows the lives of 24 athletes from Malaysia, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.

Among the Indian athletes who have been profiled includes Mary Kom, the first female Indian boxer to qualify for the London Olympics, shooter Ronjan Singh Sodhi who is a four-time gold medalist in the World Cup, and boxer Vijender Singh, a bronze medalist at the 2008 Olympics Games.

In addition, ESS will also air Golden Moments which showcase vignettes of the greatest and most inspiring athletes in Olympics history, while Olympic Stars chronicle the biggest and brightest athletes that shined in Sydney, Athens and Beijing.

Contemporary features include rivalries that defined the Olympic Games in Champions and Challengers, game-changing Olympic moments in Olympic Peaks, which details the advances in sports and the science of human performance.

Documentaries that take a historic perspective of the Olympic Games include the IOC Official Films and Olympic Sports, which depict the progression of major sports over the years and delves into the advances in strength, technique and artistry that defy limits and set standards.

Sports fans can also take a closer look at iconic images in Olympic history and the personal stories behind them on The Games Through the Lens that includes Bob Beamon?s spectacular leap of the century in the 1968 long jump, while the Story of Women at the Games traces the evolution of women?s participation at the Games.

ESS will also broadcast a weekly current affairs programme on the Games? preparations on Host City London, as well as a documentary about the evolution of the Games on the Olympic Spirit.

The London 2012 Games will feature over 10,000 athletes from more than 200 countries around the world covering 302 events in 26 sports.