Sportsnet has acquired the exclusive Canadian TV and pay-per-view (PPV) rights to the League from Nimbus Communications ahead of the next edition of the competition, which will begin on Friday.
Sportsnet One will air 36 group matches during the 2011 Indian Premier League and Rogers Sportsnet will carry another 38 games on PPV, including 34 from the group stage, three play-off games and the championship match.
“Cricket is a premiere sport whose multinational flavour is felt across the globe,” said Scott Moore, president of Rogers Broadcasting. “This partnership will not only attract fans of the sport but also introduce a brand new audience to Sportsnet as we become the destination for the Indian Premier League in Canada.”
Yannick Colaco, Nimbus’ chief operating officer, added: “Since its inception only three years ago, the IPL has consistently broken traditional cricket barriers and reached out to new audiences. We are confident that Rogers Sportsnet will continue to expand the growth of the cricketing market in Canada by widening our audience and fan base in the region.”
Canada is an associate member of the International Cricket Council and the national team beat Kenya, and also lost five games, in the recent Cricket World Cup that took place in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
