mcgillianaire (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mcgillianaire) wrote2010-03-04 01:45 pm
mcgillianaire) wrote2010-03-04 01:45 pm
Entry tags:
- cricket,
- indian sport,
- ipl,
- public,
- tv,
- tv-music-radio link,
- uk,
- video
ITV Bags IPL Rights in the UK
Just the perfect news to wake up to. Lalit Modi has made up for last year's disappointment when the IPL went without a UK broadcaster following the collapse of Setanta. This time he has moved one-step closer to emulating his Aussie predecessor Kerry Packer, in successfully marketing his self-designed one-man crusade cricket package to a global audience. The deal with ITV follows closely on the heels with securing YouTube in January. The world's most popular video channel will webcast all sixty IPL matches live (12 March - 25 April). So too will ITV4, a free-to-air digital channel, and the British broadcaster even has the right to webcast live on its website. This is great news. Even when away from the flat, I should be able to tune into the action. It's a pity English cricket is not broadcasting live on terrestrial telly, though I ain't complainin' too much. I support Indian cricket more than anything else and it's a mouthwatering prospect on offer. I don't know how many die-hard Test fans in this country will tune in, but who cares? I certainly will and so will many Indians. Well done Lalit Modi.
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It's very interesting that ITV have bought the rights, given that I don't think they've broadcast any sort of cricket since the Hong Kong single-wicket contests in the 1980s. The Cricinfo piece says that they'll take the direct feed but have their own experts, so it'll depend a lot on who they can get to do that job. Just as long as it isn't a football commentator on his day off!
I'm not sure what time the games will be on in the UK, or whether there'll be any sort of highlights/round-up show. If ITV get this right it could be a bit of a hit, as live Serie A football was for Channel 4 in the early 1990s - actually that's the closest parallel I can think of. If ITV get it wrong, Sky will be even more secure in its current monopoly. So the stakes are quite high for the broadcaster!
All this said, I wouldn't mind a "UK dub" button that bleeps out every mention of the term "DLF maximum", surely the most inane piece of commercialism (against strong competition!) in any sport. =:P
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It's been years since I've watched any HK single-wicket contests. Never realised ITV used to broadcast it here.
The 'experts', I'm sad to announce are Matt Smith (http://www.tmcentertainment.co.uk/speaker-index.html?speakerid=306&speakertypeid=14) and a Bollywood actress who fronted Sony's World Cup coverage in India in 2003 and 2007, Mandira Bedi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandira_Bedi).
If the matches follow the timings from IPL 2008 when it was held in India, then they will start at 2:30pm GMT, so most people will miss matches during the week. A lot will ride on a highlights/round-up show.
I wouldn't mind such a UK dub button either! The commentary will be grating at best, even at the best of times. Just as long Chennai wins, it's alright. And with seven English players, there's something in it for the locals too.
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Never heard of either of them, I'm afraid, though I see that Mandira Bedi at least has some experience in cricket coverage. As I've said on my own LJ post about this, I think ITV may have missed a trick by not bringing in a reasonably well known British cricket journalist (Mike Selvey?) or even a player.
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