Cricket West Indies in major domestic deal with ESPN Caribbean - Sportcal

Cricket West Indies in major domestic deal with ESPN Caribbean – Sportcal

Posted by Admin November 8, 2024 Cricket

West Indies’ last men’s home test series resulted in a 2-0 defeat to South Africa. (Daniel Prentice/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

The Cricket West Indies (CWI) governing body has struck a long-term exclusive domestic broadcast rights deal with the ESPN Caribbean division of that sports-centric network.

CWI – which in comparison to other national cricket boards is not particularly well-off financially – has described a six-year agreement as the largest media rights deal ever secured in the region.

Through a deal between the two parties unveiled yesterday (November 7), all men’s and women’s West Indies national team home matches for that period will be covered by ESPN Caribbean through to 2030.

The tie-up – brokered by CWI’s media consultants Pitch International – also includes the men’s and women’s editions of the regional domestic 50-overs competition.

This tie-up means ESPN once again becomes the primary domestic broadcast rights partner of Caribbean cricket – across the last year, that designation has been held by pay-TV network Rush Sports, which originally signed a two-year deal in mid-2023, covering both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 home seasons.

However, 2024-25 is instead set to be covered via ESPN, it has now been revealed.

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The deal entails coverage of Caribbean cricket action on the ESPN and ESPN 2 networks, as well as through the Disney+ streaming service.

Another aspect of the agreement, meanwhile, sees CWI retain the rights to license match highlights out to both free-to-air and digital platforms across the Caribbean.

Currently, CWI airs match highlights on its various social media platforms.

Lynford Inverary, acting chief executive and chief operating officer at CWI, has said: “This new six-year agreement with ESPN Caribbean marks the largest media rights deal CWI has ever secured in the Caribbean …

“ESPN is a longstanding partner, and this new deal will help CWI meet its long-term financial goals, while expanding the visibility and engagement of West Indies cricket within the region.”

Scott McGlone, ESPN’s senior director of programming and acquisitions, added: “ESPN seeks to serve local sports fans anytime, anywhere. What better way to accomplish this goal than a long-term partnership with CWI, that represents such a rich sporting history both locally and internationally.”

This tie-up follows on from CWI announcing broadcast deals in Pakistan, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and South-East Asia (SEA), in mid-October.

Cricbuzz becomes the MENA and SEA partner across 2025 and 2026, and in MENA will air games on its Cricbuzz TV channels.

Tapmad, meanwhile, has become the digital rights-holder in Pakistan, with that nation’s men’s team set to tour the West Indies in both 2025 and 2026.

These deals also cover all home international cricket played by the men’s and women’s West Indies teams, and were also brokered by Pitch International.

The region’s men’s side are presently in the midst of a home limited-overs series against England (which is being shown in that country by TNT Sports).