MUMBAI: Star India has announced that its sports channels Star Sports 2 and Star Cricket will have a slew of production and programming initiatives around the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy 2013.

There will be a dual feed. Star Sports 2 will broadcast the event in Hindi while Star Cricket and Star Cricket HD will showcase the tournament with English commentary. Live coverage will start on 30 May with warm up matches and will continue till the final on 23 June 2013. This is the last edition of the event.

The channels will add technical innovations to boost the viewer?s experience. UltraCam will bring to viewers super-slow, sharper and nuanced imagery. StarCam 360 will give viewers 360-degree camera angles and panoramic views of key match moments. The broadcaster intends to make StarCam 360 a regular feature in international cricket going forward.

Moreover, for the first time, Star Cricket HD will broadcast the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound technology.

The commentary panel includes Sourav Ganguly, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Navjot Singh Sidhu; Nasser Hussain, Shane Warne; Michael Holding and Wasim Akram.

Analysts like Harsha Bhogle and Jatin Sapru will undertake the hosting duties for the English and Hindi telecast of this event.

Besides showcasing the live action, the channels have also wrap -around elements in order to analyse the game. The central wrap-around show has been rechristened as ?Cricket Live?. This will contain various segments and features such as ?Masterclass?, ?Faceoff?, ?Down the Memory Lane? and ?In the Nets?.

The ?Face-off? segment will see each commentator arguing for his national team?s strengths. In ?Masterclass?, commentators will coach the viewer and give tips on how to improve their understanding of the game. ?In the Nets? will offer coverage of how players get ready for the game while commentators will relive their memories/ experiences of previous English tours in ?Down the Memory Lane?.

ESPN Software India COO Vijay Rajput said, "The ICC Champions Trophy is a true test of cricketing excellence with the top eight ODI teams going head to head to be crowned - Champions. There is no room for error as a defeat can cost a team dearly. We will leave no stone unturned to make this tournament an unprecedented viewing experience and are working with the ICC to deliver a world-class telecast for viewers worldwide.

"With a range of special programming, on-air enhancements, brand new camera angles, state-of-the-art graphics along with a high quality team of analysts comprising some of the great names of international cricket we intend to take the fan engagement to a newer level by redefining the way international cricket has been showcased till date".

Meanwhile the event is set to reach a global audience of 1.5 billion, thanks to new and extended agreements secured by Star Sports. This includes the continuance of long-term partnerships with Fox Sports in Australia, BSkyB in the UK, Sky TV in New Zealand, SuperSport in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa and Pehla in the Middle East and North Africa. It also includes the partnership with ESPN in the US and Caribbean and the continued coverage of the ICC events on terrestrial television in Pakistan via PTV, Bangladesh via BTV and Sri Lanka via CSN.

ICC CEO David Richardson said, "The ICC Champions Trophy 2013 will showcase the best teams in the world and to complement the on-field action, ICC and Star Sports will ensure the best possible coverage to the widest audience ever for an international 50-over event."

"For those people around the world who can?t be in England and Wales in person this June, Star Sports? distribution efforts have ensured that 1.5 billion people across the globe can view every single ODI of the tournament from the comfort of their own home," he stated.

MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has signed Sports News Television (SNTV), Perform and Reuters News as distributors for next month?s Champions Trophy.

The deals ensure that news broadcasters around the world will have access to news highlights from matches, press conferences, player interviews and event-related stories, providing up-to-the-minute information to a billion viewers all over the world.

ICC Commercial GM Campbell Jamieson said, "The ICC has had long-standing relationships with SNTV and Reuters News. We are pleased that both have agreed to continue this relationship for the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, as they have excellent distribution and global reach."

He added, "We also welcome back Perform as an ICC news access licensee, following up on our agreement for the ICC World Twenty20 last year. Perform?s multi-platform daily sports news service Omnisport will further add to the distribution and reach of the event."

"These partnerships will ensure that news broadcasters and, through them, cricket fans around the world, will have access to match highlights and other event news", he ended.

SNTV managing editor Andy Parkinson said, "SNTV is delighted to once again be working closely with the ICC and look forward to supplying our clients with the best action from the Champions Trophy."

Reuters News Global TV sports editor Claire Watson said, "Interest in sports crosses geographic borders and media platforms, so it is important to us to provide action highlights across all broadcast and online platforms globally, and with the ICC deal, we can do this."

Perform MD content distribution Ross MacEacharn said, "We are pleased to again be supporting the ICC in its ambitions to bring the premier international cricket tournament of the year to a global audience. Our unique perspective to distributing content in any format across any platform and localised to each market will ensure the ICC reaches global audiences through both traditional and new media channels."