Mumbai: Sri Lankan TV channel Supreme TV has acquired the exclusive rights to broadcast the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in Sri Lanka, from the IPG Group, the official franchise and broadcast holder. According to a statement, Sony will continue to be the official broadcaster of the league in India.
The multi-year agreement, positioned as one of the biggest broadcast deals so far in Sri Lanka will help LPL penetrate deep into every nook and corner of the country and Supreme TV is committed to play an integral part in the television and digital transmission of the LPL starting from the second season, said the statement.
“Supreme TV has become a household name and it is the fastest growing Sinhala Language channel in Sri Lanka with special focus on sports and entertainment," said Supreme TV chairman RM Manivannan. "At a time when our nation is going through a challenging period due to the Covid-19 pandemic, LPL comes as a breath of fresh air to infuse positivity and regain its character as a sport loving nation. LPL brings to the island the revolutionary concept of franchise T20 cricket which features international cricketers of repute pitched along with our own leading cricketers, not to mention the budding ones who greatly learn from this exposure. One of my biggest hopes is that young and upcoming cricketing talent that our country has always been blessed with, uses this opportunity to harness their talent and soon start to compete for selection in the national side."
"LPL is a great opportunity given to Sri Lankans to see many cricketing stars in action, whilst passionately supporting their preferred team all in our turf. Supreme TV considers it a great privilege to take this rare entertainment to all Sri Lankans - the urban elite, as well as to every village, with their strong island wide coverage for a continuous period of almost a month. For a cricket loving nation, which is slowly disengaging from the pandemic at this moment, opportunity to enjoy the high quality second season from home is probably the best year end gift," he added.
The inaugural edition of the LPL which was played in a bio-secure bubble at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota from 26 November till 16 December, 2020, reached a cumulative audience of 557 million people through TV, digital-social space, and traditional media outlets. Sponsors enjoyed a media evaluation (visibility) of $54.5 million and title sponsor My11Circle enjoyed a ROI of 9.85 times. Winner of the first edition of LPL, Jaffna Kings tops the valuation chart with $3.98 million, followed by Galle Gladiators ($3.82 million), Dambulla Vikings - now Dambulla Giants, ($3.54 million), Colombo Kings ($3.44 million), and Kandy Tuskers ($3.19 million).
“It gives me immense pleasure to welcome on board Supreme TV as our broadcast partner of the prestigious Lanka Premier League and I can confidently say that this association is a great testament to the brand LPL," said Dubai-based IPG Group's founder and CEO Anil Mohan. "In the first edition, from Sri Lanka alone we garnered a total viewership of 1.9 million which is quite significant. Our first season was big success and with the addition of Supreme TV, we will only grow bigger.”
As per the statement, the LPL matches which were telecast live by Sky Sports, Sony Sports Network, Geo, PTV, and Willow TV, ITN in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UK, US, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand saw 155 million people tuning in to catch live action. On social media, it achieved a reach of 218 million and LPL found 133,478 mentions as the League came alive with each and every match with some scintillating performances on the ground.
