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Tribune News Network
Doha
The best of English cricket will soon be broadcast across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) following a deal signed on Monday between the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and beIN Media Group.
Under the six-year deal, beIN Media Group will screen premium cricket clashes including India's 2018 and 2022 tours to England, as well as the Ashes series in the UK in 2019. beIN last week announced an exclusive deal to broadcast Cricket Australia content in the MENA region, starting with the 2017-18 Ashes on November 23.
Adding to the international matches, the ECB deal means beIN will screen selected matches from ECB's domestic programme including action from the T20 Blast, Royal London One-Day Cup and the Specsavers County Championship as well as ECB's new eight-team T20 competition from 2020.
Alongside the agreement, beIN has announced plans to introduce a dedicated beIN sports cricket channel in the MENA region in 2018.
Today's agreement with the ECB will cover the home international programme for both England's men's and women's teams across all three formats of the game.
beIN will broadcast cricket in more than 24 countries, including the UAE nited Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and Morocco.
Commenting on the agreement, Yousef al Obaidly, Deputy CEO, beIN Media Group, said:"Today's announcement strengthens beIN Media Group's sports portfolio, bringing more of the world's best cricket to fans across the Middle East and North Africa."
Tom Harrison, CEO of the England and Wales Cricket Board, said:"We're very pleased to welcome beIN Media Group to our broader family of broadcast partners and excited by their plans to create their own dedicated cricket channel for the first time."
