Sky Sports Captures IPL Cricket Rights
Sky Sports has secured the TV rights to cricket’s Indian Premier League in a three-year deal starting from 2015, with the deal also including mobile and internet rights.
The pay-TV broadcaster will now become the exclusive home of the franchise T20 competition in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
The agreement means that there will once again be no live cricket coverage on free-to-air television in the UK following the end of the 2014 IPL season, which runs from 9th April to 3rd June.
From next year, Sky Sports will have the world’s top four domestic Twenty20 cricket competitions; the IPL, the ECB’s NatWest T20 Blast, Australia’s Big Bash League and South Africa’s Ram Slam T20 Challenge.
Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, said: ‘It’s the cricket competition that everyone is talking about and from next year, only on Sky Sports can viewers follow the IPL live. Sky Sports’ cricket coverage has never been stronger, offering something for everyone including all the major Test playing nations and all the best players. We can’t wait. Before then, our cricket continues with the best action including ICC World Twenty20 next month and England’s summer Tests against Sri Lanka and India.’
Launched in 2008, the IPL features many of the world’s best players in a two month competition contested across India, with matches drawing huge crowds that create electric atmospheres.
Last year’s tournament was won by Sachin Tendulkar’s team, the Mumbai Indians, with Tendulkar ending his six-year IPL career with his first Indian Premier League trophy win.
Sky Sports has a comprehensive suite of live cricket rights, with exclusive deals in place with the likes of the International Cricket Council, England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket Australia.
