As part of the deal, SPN will broadcast all senior Men’s International and Women’s International along with domestic competitions on its sports channels across India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Maldives.
The exclusive content from ECB will also be streamed on SPN’s OTT platform SonyLIV.
The new deal will give SPN access to around 250 days of international men’s cricket, including Men’s 5-match Test series and limited overs series between England and India, and Women’s series between the two nations as well.
England and India have been involved in some thrilling cricket matches including the recent India’s tour of England, which had the test series being tied 2-2 and the Indian team winning both the T20 & ODI series 2-1.
The deal includes other iconic series like The Ashes, as well as matches against other top teams like Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa.
“SPN has had an outstanding association with the ECB that has enabled us to bring premiere sporting content to our viewers who enjoy cricket,” said NP Singh, MD & CEO, SPN. “The extension of the broadcast partnership is a testament to our strong portfolio of sports content in the country, which we have successfully built and nurtured over the years. This association is an opportunity to bring to the Indian audience an unparalleled viewing experience across the Sony Sports Network and our digital platform SonyLIV. This partnership will only bolster our endeavour further.”
SPN recently lost the rights of Cricket Australia, which rival Disney Star picked up for seven years.
“We are happy to extend our long-standing partnership with ECB,” said Rajesh Kaul, chief revenue officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business at SPN. “The English cricket team is amongst the most formidable in the world, and we look forward to broadcasting high quality cricket played in England during primetime viewing hours including the 21 matches featuring India between 2023 to 2028. In addition to this, Team England has elevated global interest in their new brand of test cricket led by their captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. The England-India rivalry has always been an exciting proposition for cricket fans around the world and our viewers can look forward to some thrilling cricket action until 2028.”
“We’re delighted to extend this partnership for another six years,” said Clare Connor, Interim CEO, ECB. “This partnership also enables us to bring the men’s County game to the biggest cricket audience in the world.”
Apart from international cricket, SPN will get the rights to telecast domestic competitions that include County Championship, the T20 Blast and Royal London Cup.
