ATN strikes long-term cricket deals

Canadian broadcast group Asian Television Network has signed five-year broadcast rights deals with four major international cricket boards.

ATN has agreed deals with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricket South Africa, Cricket Australia and Zimbabwe Cricket through to 2018.

Under the terms of the deals, ATN will broadcast all home international series featuring those countries, primarily on its ATN Cricket Plus and CBN channels.

Selected matches will also air as a “special feature” on the recently launched ATN Sports channel and the deal means ATN intends to broadcast 1,115 days of live cricket over the next five years, taking in an estimated 76 Test matches, 135 one-day internationals and 150 Twenty20 games.

The deal also includes all domestic series played in India, with ATN pledging to show 450 matches in total.