MUMBAI: The audience in the United Kingdom will watch the Indian Premiere League on the British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) network as it has beaten the four-time broadcaster ITV to bag the rights of the series in the years 2015, 2016, 2017.

The decision was taken when the IPL Governing Council met in Bengaluru recently and BSkyB was awarded the telecast, internet and mobile rights of the Pepsi Indian Premier League, for the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, and the European territories for the three years.

In the UK, ITV4 was the sole broadcaster of the IPL for the past four seasons.

This would also be the first time that IPL will be shown on a subscription channel.

Sky Sports MD Barney Francis said: “It’s the cricket competition that everyone is talking about and from next year, only on Sky Sports can viewers follow the IPL live.  Sky Sports’ cricket coverage has never been stronger, offering something for everyone including the major Test playing nations, the best players and now the world’s richest competition.  We can’t wait.”