Star Cricket expands reach with new carriage deals

Pan-Asian sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports has secured carriage deals in the Philippines and Indonesia for its specialist cricket channel, Star Cricket.

The channel will be carried by cable television operator Sky Cable in the Philippines and by pay-television and broadband provider First Media in Indonesia.

Star Cricket was launched in 2007 with a strong portfolio of international cricket rights including International Cricket Council events, international and domestic cricket from India, Australia and England, the Champions League Twenty20 club tournament. The channel also covered the inaugural seasons of the domestic Sri Lankan Premier League and the Bangladesh Premier League.

Peter Hutton, managing director of ESPN Star Sports said: “We’re delighted to be able to help the ICC grow the game worldwide, and to see Star Cricket increase its popularity across Asia.”

In addition to the new markets of the Philippines and Sri Lanka, Star Cricket is also available in South East Asian markets Singapore, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea and the Maldives.