Asian Television Network has landed the broadcasting rights for the newest addition to world-class cricket, the Indian Premier League.

The league, which made its debut earlier this month, ‘is the most exciting new phenomenon in world cricket,’ said ATN president and CEO Shan Chandrasekar.

The five-year deal will see matches run live on Commonwealth Broadcasting Network, an ATN-owned pay channel, with repeats and audio commentary on other ATN satellite radio and TV outlets.

The league boasts some of the most famous names in world cricket and integrates Bollywood glitz and glamour, with cinema stars lending endorsements to the league’s eight teams. ‘We expect that the extraordinary combination of cricket and Bollywood stars will make a massive impact on our television viewers and radio listeners,’ says Chandrasekar.

ATN — which currently reaches approximately 600,000 to 700,000 viewers daily — expects large numbers of families to watch daytime broadcasts of IPL matches.

From Media in Canada