ICC U19 WC to be broadcast in 180 countries

MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council?s (ICC) global broadcast partner ESPN Star Sports and its licensing partners will take the coverage of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2012 to more than 180 countries with live broadcast of all the 10 matches to be played at Tony Ireland Stadium, Queensland, Australia.

The broadcast coverage of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2012, which will be staged from 11 to 26 August, will start with the tournament opener between defending champion Australia and arch-rival England on Saturday, 11 August, and will culminate with the final to be staged on Sunday, 26 August.

During the two-week period, fans from across the globe will be able to watch all 10 matches to be played at the Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville. This will include coverage of five group stage matches, two Super League quarter-finals, two Super League semi-finals and the final.

ESPN STAR Sports will broadcast the matches in Indian sub-continent including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan. In Sri Lanka, Carlton Sports will telecast the matches on terrestrial network.

Ten Sports along with PTV will telecast the matches in Pakistan and in England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, the matches will be televised on BSkyB, while in Australia the event will be shown on Fox Sports.

ART Prime Sports will telecast the matches in the Middle East and North Africa. Sportscaster SuperSport will bring the event for audiences in Sub Saharan Africa and South Africa.

ESPN STAR Sports and its licensees will service cricket?s traditional heartlands in South Asia, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, and the coverage will also be seen across the continents of Africa and South America, and throughout the Middle East, USA and Canada.

Cricket fans in South America and Caribbean can catch the event on ESPN while Rogers Sportsnet is the broadcast partner in Canada.

In addition to this, ESPN STAR Sports will stream the games live on its website, www.espnstar.com in the territories that are not serviced by a television broadcaster. This ensures the tournament will have a reach of more than 180 territories, including mainland Europe.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said the scope of the worldwide broadcast coverage reflected the importance of the tournament. "The ICC U19 Cricket World Cup has become an extremely popular global event that serves both as a finishing school and a platform for showcasing the talents of our future stars."

ESS MD Peter Hutton said, "We?re absolutely delighted to be showing the next generation of cricketers to a worldwide audience as part of a remarkable year of sport on our channels, and look forward to what should be an excellent tournament."

ESPN STAR Sports has also assembled a star-studded commentary team for the tournament, including fellow ICC Cricket Hall of Fame inductees Ian Chappell of Australia and Pakistan?s Wasim Akram, as well as former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar, ex-South Africa spinner Pat Symcox and former New Zealand fast bowler Danny Morrison.

Broadcast schedule:

All matches will be played at the Tony Ireland Stadium, Townsville