ESPN to broadcast IPL in USA

[TNAmarkFrmIndia]

ESPN is seeking to reinforce their mantra as the self-proclaimed worldwide leader in sports. Bristol is making a significant push into one of the world’s most popular international sports that is still something of a novelty on American shores: cricket. Currently, ESPN has been offering coverage to the ongoing Cricket World Cup through an over-the-top subscription basis and has been showing highlights from the tournament on SportsCenter. Now, we’ve learned that ESPN has won rights to televise the lucrative Indian Premier League in America. The IPL was launched in 2008 and almost immediately became a multi-billion dollar brand with viewers all over the globe. The tournament follows the television friendly Twenty20 format, where both teams bat for 20 overs. This means that games only last for about three hours instead of an entire day (50 over one day internationals) or multiple days (traditional test matches). Much like the NBA or the English Premier League, the IPL features the best players from around the globe. More on ESPN’s acquisition from the Television Post: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has awarded the Indian Premier League (IPL) media rights for the US market to Walt Disney-owned sportscaster ESPN. The dominant sportscaster in the US has been awarded the rights at a total fee of $12.4 million for three years until 2017. The BCCI had received three bids from Willow TV, Times Internet, and ESPN. Willow TV was the incumbent rights-holder for the US market. The Marketing Committee of the BCCI had met in Chennai today to decide on the media rights of the IPL for the US region. “We are delighted to have entered into a strategic partnership with one of the leading platforms of global sport, ESPN, which will deliver the widest possible reach ever for the Pepsi IPL in the United States,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said.

http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/espn-wins-rights-indian-premier-league-cricket.html

[Zelig]

Isn't WillowTV owned by ESPN? :hmmm:

[Sachin=GOD]

The site is 'awfulannouncing' - perfect for tamasha news.