Eurosport wins Champions League Twenty20

British Eurosport has signed a lucrative deal to broadcast its first cricketing event – the Champions League Twenty20, being played next month.

The exclusive broadcast agreement with Asian network, ESPN STAR Sports, will give the British channel access to games from the event in Bangalore from 8th October to 23rd October. It will also retain all online, video on demand and mobile rights for the coverage.

The tournament will be contested by 12 teams, starting with a round robin format, with four pools of three teams. Each pool will have one IPL team, with games played across three venues in Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

English teams Somerset County Cricket Club and Sussex Sharks will compete in the tournament against ten other sides from around the world. After 23 matches have been played over the 16-day competition, the winning team will walk away with �1.8m in prize money.

British Eurosport director David Kerr said, “We are delighted to bring world-class cricket to British Eurosport with this brand new and eagerly-awaited event. Twenty20 has taken the game to new audiences and the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 will provide another star-studded fortnight with the best players and teams in the world competing in front of massive crowds for the title of world champions.

“These prestigious rights represent another major step forward for Eurosport in the UK. Following the acquisition of the US PGA Tour, Golden League Athletics and GP2 series, our UK offer gets stronger and stronger for British audiences and we look forward to welcoming yet more new viewers to the channel.”

ESPN STAR Sports managing director Manu Sawhney added, “We are extremely pleased to partner with British Eurosport for the inaugural Airtel Champions League Twenty20 and are delighted to be working with them to serve cricket fans across the United Kingdom.

“Matching the prestige of the tournament, we are committed to produce and present this global property in the most entertaining and engaging manner to audiences around the world.”

All games from the tournament will be broadcast at either 12:20 or 15:30 on British Eurosport on Sky Digital and Virgin Media.