ESPN gets Cricket Australia broadcast rights for Rs 1,100 cr

New Delhi: ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) has bagged exclusive broadcast rights from Cricket Australia (CA) to all domestic and international matches played in Australia for Rs 1,100 crore. ESS has signed a five-year contract with CA to broadcast the international cricket action from Australia — including 27 test matches, 44 one-day internationals and 12 Twenty20 games — starting 2012, on television, the internet, mobile and radio. [caption id=“attachment_151019” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“ESS has signed a five-year contract with CA. Screengrab/espnstar.com”]  [/caption] According to industry sources, the deal is valued at Rs 1,100 crore, an increase of around 25 percent in comparison to an earlier agreement signed in 2006. “This is the first time ever that a broadcast deal with Cricket Australia will give ESPN STAR Sports the rights to showcase two India series,” ESS said in a statement. India is slated to play four test matches and a tri-series with England and Australia in the 2014-2015 season, right before the ICC World Cup in 2015. India will again visit Australia for seven ODIs and two Twenty20 matches in 2015-2016. “Over the next five years, all of the leading teams will be visiting Australia,” the statement said. In addition to the Ashes tournament between arch-rivals England and Australia in the year 2013-2014, other cricket teams — including South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the West Indies and New Zealand — will tour Australia for various matches. Commenting on the development, ESS Managing Director Manu Sawhney said, “With so many premium international series, including two India tours and the Ashes, along with a robust mix of increasingly popular domestic tournaments, fans in the Indian sub-continent can look forward to top quality action.” PTI