Champions League

ESPN wins Champions League rights

EPSN-Star Sports secured the ten-year commercial rights for broadcasting the Champions League T20 for US$900 million. The deal gives the network the global commercial rights for every Champions League match from this year’s inaugural event in December until 2017.

The ICC confirmed the deal when it opened all the bids in Dubai on Wednesday. ESPN-Star Sports was preferred ahead of DIC, who offered $751.3 million, and the Abu Dhabi Sports Club, whose bid was disqualified for being conditional.

Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said the bidding process had been “fair and transparent”. “We have what we believe to be the best commercial deal for the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 season and for cricket fans across the world,” Modi said. “All the bids received were of a very high standard.”

No venues have yet been named for the 2008 series, which will take place from December 3 to 10. The tournament will feature eight sides from India, South Africa, Australia, England and Pakistan, before expanding to a 12-team competition next year.

ESPN-Star Sports was already the ICC’s television rights holder until 2015. In 2006, the network paid $1.1 billion for the nine-year deal that would include two World Cups.

Tags: Champions League T20, espn, icc