ITV Bags IPL Rights in the UK

[mcgillianaire]

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.

Comments

[loganberrybunny.livejournal.com]

The 'experts'

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.