MUMBAI: Badminton World Federation (BWF) and IMG Media have agreed to a four-year contract for the centralised media rights of the BWF Major Events, the BWF World Superseries and BWF Grand Prix Gold.

The deal, which comes into effect with the start of the 2014 Superseries cycle next year, will see BWF?s media-rights earnings jump four-fold as badminton?s world-governing body capitalises on the sport?s increasing global popularity and profile.

The BWF events are currently televised in more than 160 countries, with more than 5,000 hours of coverage yearly. Additionally, after just 18 months, BWF?s online channel boasts 22 million views with fans already watching 70 million minutes of badminton. The new agreement will look to improve on these solid figures.
 
BWF president Dr. Kang Young Joong said, "I have said before that my goal has been to strengthen BWF?s financial position and this agreement with IMG further ensures that. BWF is guaranteed higher revenues from this deal than ever before for media rights."

"This exciting partnership with IMG will allow BWF to explore interesting, new opportunities regarding how we can improve and expand the BWF brand and visibility through various media streams and products," he added.

"Of course, BWF is keen to extend its live and delayed coverage of tournaments into new markets. Additionally, we will be considering how we can continue to exploit broadband technologies and use data to interact with and engage fans more. We are also looking at an enhanced magazine show, profiling badminton stars and events more prominently. There are many options for utilising media platforms and BWF will be seeking to maximise these," he further stated.
 
The consolidation of BWF?s media rights means IMG Media - a division of IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company - will have exclusive rights to showcase all of the best badminton action worldwide, having secured the rights for the BWF Major Events (World Championships, Thomas and Uber Cups and the Sudirman Cup), the 12-stop BWF World Superseries tour which culminates in the year-end. Superseries Finals and the Grand Prix Gold tour which for the first time sees its media rights centralised by the BWF. This is also the very first time the BWF is working exclusively with one global partner across all of its media rights.

IMG Media president Michel Masquelier said, "Badminton is growing as a commercial commodity and is among Asia?s leading and most popular spectator sports. IMG is pleased to partner with the BWF to further raise badminton?s profile, not only in the Asian marketplace - which is a booming sports hub - but also into other markets where fans are turning on to the fastest racquet sport."

"This is an exciting time for badminton and IMG looks forward to this collaboration with BWF and badminton which has proven a best-practices model for sport business in Asia while continuing its global expansion," he added.

MUMBAI: The success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is inspiring other countries to try and follow suit. Already countries like Bangladesh have launched their own league. Next in line is the West Indies. The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which kicks off in July has engaged IMG, to assist in the delivery of the inaugural franchise-based tournament.

IMG also manages the IPL and so the move is natural. The sports management and talent agency will advise on the operational and commercial execution of the tournament and be responsible for television production and media distribution.

IMG has represented many of the world?s cricket boards over the last 20 plus years, including the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the West Indies Cricket Board (WCB), Cricket Australia (CA), Cricket South Africa (CSA), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket New Zealand (CNZ) as well as the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The company created the Sahara Cup, an annual series of Official One Day Internationals between India and Pakistan in Canada in the 1990s, and most recently was involved in the creation of the IPL on which it continues to advise the BCCI. IMG has extensive experience of working in the Caribbean having produced television coverage of international cricket from the region for two decades.

CPL CEO Damien O?Donohoe said he was delighted IMG would be involved in the tournament. "IMG will bring with them a wealth of commercial, financial and organisational knowledge to aid the CPL team we are assembling. They know cricket and they know Twenty20 cricket as they have a proven track record in T20 leagues. On top of that, they have worked with several cricket boards over many years and, most notably from our perspective, that includes a long-standing relationship with West Indies cricket so they know the Caribbean too."

IMG executive VP Andrew Wildblood said, "It is a privilege for IMG to be involved in the development of the Caribbean Premier League. Our long experience of working in the region, allied to our wide ranging involvement in the sport of cricket will enable us to make a valuable contribution to the delivery of the CPL."

"The CPL is a wonderful opportunity for IMG to try to contribute to the next stage of development of cricket in the West Indies. The West Indies is one of the most important cricket regions in the world, a region that every true cricket fan cares about passionately, and one which has contributed so much to international cricket in the past with a flavour and atmosphere all of its own," he further added.

The agreement with IMG is the latest part of the organisational structure to be put in place by CPL organisers as the tournament, set to get underway on 30 July, moves ever closer.

Six West Indies stars have already been confirmed as franchise players - Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels. Some of them have already made a big impact on the on-going IPL season.

Also confirmed are the six overseas icon players - former Australia captains Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting, ex-New Zealand captain Ross Taylor, Pakistan Twenty20 International captain Mohammad Hafeez, Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa and Sri Lanka spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan.

CPL will have six franchises based in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Trinidad &Tobago.

Also confirmed is the make-up of the CPL Cricket Committee, which will be chaired by former Jamaica prime minister PJ Patterson and include Zorol Barthley, Conde Riley and Walter Scott, QC (West Indies Cricket Board nominees) alongside Ian Bishop, Lance Gibbs and Charles Wilkin, QC (CPL nominees).

90 players will be contracted to play in the CPL. Each of the six Franchise teams will comprise 15 player squads. All the teams are required to have a minimum number of local players from their franchise country.

At least four of them must be under the age of 23, and teams can also field a maximum of four international players. The remainder of the team must consist of regional and/or local players.