Indiantelevision.com Team

(18 January 2007 10:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Having locked in $ 1.1 billion dollars from the sale of telecast rights, the International Cricket Council will soon start the sales process for sponsorship rights to ICC events over the next eight years, including the World Cup in 2015.

The period includes 18 ICC tournaments with two ICC Cricket World Cups, in Asia (2011) and Australasia (2015), and a minimum of three ICC Champions Trophy tournaments.

Also included are the first two ICC Twenty20 World Championships, in South Africa (2007) and England (2009), the latter taking place in the ICC's centenary year.

The ICC intends to enter negotiations with prospective sponsors with a view to concluding agreements during the first half of 2007.

Chief executive officer Malcolm Speed said: "The ICC's executive board began this process in April of last year when it confirmed the venues for ICC events from the second half of 2007 to the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

"With those events and a broadcasting agreement to cover them in place, we are now in a position to go to market to obtain the best possible partners for cricket.

"For the first time the ICC is able to offer one major event every year and the quality and variety of those events and the fact they span the globe mean they represent exceptional value for sponsors.

"Live telecasts will be supported by an integrated promotion plan for major events and for the sport. It all means that companies have never had a bigger and more prestigious opportunity in cricket."

The ICC has already sold its broadcast rights for the period with ESPN Star Sports in December named as its Global Media and Production Partner in a agreement worth $ 1.1 billion.

ICC Events 2007 - 2015

* broadcast and sponsorship rights for this event owned by News Corp Owned Global Cricket Corporation.