Dubai, June 15 (UNI): The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced the broadcast and digital distribution plans for the inaugural ICC World Test Championship final, to be played between India and New Zealand from June 18 to 22, in Southampton.
According to the ICC release, the coverage will provide global cricket fans with wide-ranging access to the match on television, digital and radio.
The TV broadcast plans are headlined by long-term partner Star Sports, broadcasting in five languages in India namely Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Indian fans will also be able to watch video clips on Facebook.
Additionally, to maximise reach, the ICC has agreed deals with leading global broadcasters, including Sky Sports in New Zealand, Fox Sports in Australia, Supersport in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Sky Sports in the UK. Fans in the US have an array of options, via Hotstar, ESPN+ and Willow TV.
In a service to fans in markets where the ICC does not have a broadcast partner for this event, the match will be streamed live on the new ICC.tv platform.
Fans can register to watch the match for free on the website www.icc.tv or download the app in the App Store and Google Play store. This service will be available in all territories where the ICC does not have a broadcast partner for this event.
Meanwhile, the ICC TV will produce the live coverage of the championship, which will see 34 cameras and best-in-class enhancements of the match broadcast.
ICC TV will also provide a fully produced match day programme which will allow broadcasters to transmit the matches without the need for a unilateral presentation set-up. In addition to the live match coverage, it will also produce a 30-minute pre-matchday build-up, lunch and tea interval shows and a post-match day wrap-up show.
The commentary panel for the inaugural ICC WTC Final will include stalwarts of the game, experienced broadcasters, and fresh, young voices.
ICC Hall of Famers and Test match legends Sunil Gavaskar and Kumar Sangakkara will be joined by experienced broadcasters Nasser Hussain, Simon Doull, Isa Guha, Ian Bishop and Michael Atherton.
