International Media Content Ltd (“IMC”), parent company of regional sports cable giant SportsMax, announced today an unprecedented agreement with the English Cricket Board (ECB) for the exclusive television broadcast rights to all international and domestic cricket from 2010 through to 2013. This marks the first time the ECB is signing an international television rights deal with a Caribbean media company, having previously done rights deals through US media company Echostar.
The international rights package includes the West Indies tour to England in 2012 and the next Ashes in England in 2013 as well as a total of 26 test fixtures, 46 One Day Internationals and 8 Twenty20 England matches against the likes of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa.
The agreement includes English Domestic cricket properties such as the LV County Division 1 & 2 Championships and the Pro40 Division One featuring West Indians such as Gareth Breese, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Wavell Hinds. This will mark a milestone in the Caribbean as for the first time English Domestic cricket is available in the Caribbean.
The agreement was made official at the offices of the English Cricket Board at Lord’s when SportsMax and IMC’s Chairman Hon. Patrick Rousseau, O.J. and President & CEO of SportsMax Oliver McIntosh signed the agreement with John Perera, Commercial Director of the ECB and Brian Havill, ECB Finance Director.
The package IMC has purchased will be broadcast on SportsMax to some 22 Caribbean Countries in which the channel now operates. SportsMax now has a significant and unprecedented stake in major international cricket, as this ECB cricket complements the already stellar inventory of international cricket rights already broadcast by SportsMax, including all home series in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa through 2012 plus the Indian Premier League (IPL) through 2011.
Pat Rousseau explained, “The signing with the ECB represents a great continuation of our broadcast plans for bringing even more cricket content to the Caribbean over the next 5 years. With this purchase, IMC once again demonstrates its commitment to its subscribers and satisfying demand by offering high quality and unmatched coverage of international and domestic English cricket to our SportsMax viewers. We also know that there is a direct connection between the broadcast of sports and its development so we hope that this will enhance the playing of cricket in the region.”
John Perera from the ECB added, “Today is historic for the Caribbean and the ECB as we have a very strong and long cricketing relationship with the region and this deal will ensure that the relationship will grow further. This is a strategic long term partnership with IMC for the next 4 years which ensures that the best of our cricket gets to the cricket fans in the Caribbean, and the best of the West Indian cricketers in our domestic cricket are seen by their countrymen.”
IMC’s position in the sports broadcast market in the Caribbean is strengthened by this ECB deal. Included in IMC’s inventory of rights are the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World CupTM, as well as the Barclays Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Brazil and Argentina World Cup qualifiers, the recently concluded IAAF Grand Prix as well as the Flow Champions Cup, National Basketball League powered by Flow and the Reggae Boys home matches.
- Provisional schedule of International Matches for 2010-2013
| Year | England vs. | Test Matches | ODI’s | International Twenty20 Matches |
| 2010 | Bangladesh | 2 | 3 | -- |
| | Australia | | 5 | |
| | Pakistan | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| 2011 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| | India | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 2012 | West Indies | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| | South Africa | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| | Australia | | 5 | |
| 2013 | New Zealand | 2 | 3 | |
| | Australia | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| | | | | |
| Total | | 26 | 46 | 8
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