DUBAI, IANS/CMC – A record television audience is expected to watch the West Indies’ defence of their World Twenty20 title in Bangladesh starting this week.
The sport’s governing body, the International Cricket Council, said yesterday the March 16 to April 6 campaign would break all previous broadcast records for ICC events. That coverage, produced and distributed by the ICC’s global media rights partner and host broadcaster, Star Sports, will have a potential reach of more than 1.8 billion viewers with live pictures shown by 29 broadcasters. Both figures are the highest ever for an ICC event, the world body said in a statement.
“We are delighted that more than a quarter of the world’s population will have access to live coverage from the World Twenty20 2014, thanks to ICC’s broadcast partners,” said ICC chief executive, David Richardson.
The tournament will be shown in more than 20 languages with pictures going across Europe via Eurosport and as far as Norway, Nepal, Afghanistan and the Pacific Islands.
The production will be among the most sophisticated ever too, with 28 cameras, including seven ultra-motion cameras, Spidercam as well as graphics with key analytics, all of which will take the viewer right to the heart of the action.
All 35 matches in the men’s tournament, plus all four of the warm-up matches in Mirpur, will be covered, as well as both semi-finals and the final of the women’s event.
A host of cricket legends, including former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop, Ravi Shastri, Sanjay Manjrekar, Shaun Pollock, Sourav Ganguly and Shane Warne will be among the analysts for the tournament.West Indies won the last tournament held in Sri Lanka two years ago when they beat the hosts in the final.
