CAPE TOWN – After months of problems, there has finally been some significant progress made with the proposed new T20 Cricket League at the end of the year.
Cricket South Africa announced on Tuesday that they have entered into a partnership with the SABC, who will have exclusive official broadcast rights for the competition in the sub-Saharan region for the next three years.
The new T20 event has been shrouded in mystery over a number of months after the previous version, the T20 Global League, failed to get off the ground last year.
Cricket SA have started over on the project, and said in a statement on Tuesday that the new competition will be played over November and December this year, with matches live on SABC 3 and Radio 2000 – with Umhlobo Wenene FM also bringing fans live radio coverage of some of the matches.
The broadcast deal was one of the major stumbling blocks in the previous T20 Global League, so CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe will be a relieved man after getting things sorted with the T20 Cricket League.
“This is a landmark moment for cricket in South Africa,” Moroe said on Tuesday.
“For the first time, South Africa’s premier public broadcaster will have exclusive rights to a major cricket event, and this is very much in line with CSA’s vision of making cricket a truly national sport of excellence that is accessible to all.”
Madoda Mxakwe, who is the group chief executive at the SABC, said the partnership was “mutually beneficial both to the SABC and CSA”.
“The SABC treasures the good relationship that we have with CSA, which enables the two parties to enter into this groundbreaking partnership,” Maxakwe said in a statement.
“It is a perfect deal, as it fits into the SABC’s business strategy of increasing audiences and revenue, delivering compelling and entertaining content and diversifying revenue streams. The deal is, therefore, one that is mutually beneficial both to the SABC and CSA.”
Exact dates, venues, teams and broadcast times will be announced in due course.
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