West Indies cricket reaches multi-million dollar TV deal
AFP - 04 May 2000

ST. JOHN'S, May 4 (AFP) - The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) have negotiated a 40-million-dollar television rights deal with BSkyB for the period 2004 to 2008.

The WICB signed the exclusive contract with BSkyB in London on Wednesday to manage its worldwide broadcast and Internet rights, but the deal does not include the hosting of the 2007 World Cup.

``Sky's commitment to West Indies cricket, innovative approach to broadcasting and worldwide strength encouraged us to deepen our association with them,'' WICB president Pat Rousseau said.

The new arrangement makes Sky the official host broadcaster for the WICB for the five seasons and makes them the sole agent for the overseas sales of West Indies cricket rights.

Sky also have an eight-year agreement to develop, manage and maintain the official WICB Internet service and develop new on-line opportunities.

``We are breaking new ground with this deal,'' Chris Dehring, chief marketing executive of the WICB, remarked.

``This is the culmination of a couple years of rigorous and complex negotiations which will augur well for the future of West Indies cricket.''

The deal guarantees the WICB a net benefit of 25 million US dollars and will provide vital revenues for various ventures including the development of cricket in the Caribbean.

``The current West Indies team is young and requires investment,'' Rousseau said. ``This deal will provide the financial resources for their development and further the much admired West Indian role in the world game.''

He underlined the substantial benefits of the deal to Caribbean cricket. ``Our development plans for cricket in the Caribbean will require millions of dollars and these funds will be of great assistance in that regard.''

The new arrangement is far more lucrative than the existing contracts which Trans World International have been negotiating for the WICB since 1989.

The WICB will net about six million US dollars for the four-year period 2000 through to 2003 from their contract with TWI.

This year, they are expected to lose about two million US dollars because there were no substantial revenues from the poor television markets in Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

The WICB is negotiating rights for the 2007 World Cup with the International Cricket Council for about 150 million US dollars. Most of that to go the ICC.