MUMBAI: For the first time ever, the International Cricket Council (ICC) will be producing the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Bangladesh 2016 as ICC TV along with its live production partner, Sunset + Vine. ICC has signed deals with as many as 15 broadcasters from around the world, who will then carry the feed.
Star Sports has the rights for India and the sub-continent. The other broadcasters include Sky Sports (UK and Republic of Ireland), SuperSport (Africa and sub-Saharan Africa), OSN (MENA) and Willow TV (USA). Local broadcast will be brought to fans by four licensees; Gazi TV, BTV, Maasranga and Star Sports.
The ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Bangladesh 2016 is scheduled to kick-off on 27 January and will see future stars of international cricket playing 20 matches, which will all be beamed live.
According to the ICC, the potential reach for this event will easily outstrip any of the previous 10 U19 Cricket World Cup events as this is the first time that 20 matches will be broadcast live. In the 2014 event in the UAE, 11 matches were shown, while 10 matches each were televised from the 2008, 2010 and 2012 events in Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia respectively.
The live coverage will start in Chittagong on 27 January, when a worldwide audience of over a billion is expected to watch South Africa launch its title defense against host Bangladesh in the tournament opener.
The ICC, in line with its commitment to enhance the profile of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, has put in place a schedule that includes live broadcast coverage of all four matches from the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chittagong, seven matches from Fatullah (including two Super League quarter-finals and five Super League play-offs) and nine matches from the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium (SBNS) in Mirpur, including four first-round matches, two quarter-finals, both the semi-finals and the 14 February final.
The high-quality broadcast coverage will be through 22 cameras and include HawkEye for ball speeds and other analytical insights. The line-up of commentators includes Pommie Mbangwa, Russel Arnold, Ian Bishop, Dominic Cork, Sanjay Manjrekar, Paul Allott, Athar Ali Khan, Daryl Cullinan, Lisa Sthalekar, Alan Wilkins, and Rohan Gavaskar.
To highlight the aspirations of young cricketers participating at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, in the lead up the event, the ICC launched the #FutureStars promotional campaign on broadcast and digital. In a series of four promotional videos featuring Mehedi Hasan of Bangladesh, Dan Lawrence of England, Wiaan Mulder of South Africa and Ishan Kishan of India, these young cricketers talk about their inspirations and ambitions.
The event will also be covered on ICC digital channels. The official website www.icc-cricket.com will provide live scoring and full match center coverage for all matches. The 2016 edition is also the first ICC U19 Cricket World Cup ever to have a dedicated mobile app, available on both Android and iOS. Both the website and the app will contain the latest news, columns, video clips, official tournament standings and statistics.
Fans will also be able to catch the Nissan Play of the Day every day on the website and the app, which will be in play for all 18 televised match-days in Bangladesh. On social media, the ICC will have dedicated on the ground coverage from all of the venues in Bangladesh, with bespoke content appearing on all of the @ICC accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube.
ICC CEO David Richardson said, "This is the most important age-group cricket tournament, which has a tradition of producing the next generation of stars. As such, the ICC has decided to expand the reach of this event, providing unprecedented broadcast and digital coverage to ensure that individual and team performances are provided greater exposure and that the youngsters get a taste of a truly global event."
