Rogers Sportsnet Cranks Up Cricket with IPL

The biggest cricket stars in the world are coming to Rogers Sportsnet as the network has signed an exclusive four-year agreement to broadcast live the Indian Premier League, starting Friday, April 8, 2011.

The agreement gives Sportsnet exclusive Canadian television rights and Pay-per-View rights to the League, featuring stars such as Sachin Tendulkar (India), Shane Warne (Australia), Daniel Vettori (New Zealand), Andrew Symonds (Australia) and Jacques Kallis (South Africa).

“Cricket is a premiere sport whose multinational flavour is felt across the globe,” says Scott Moore, President, 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.”

“We are delighted to welcome Rogers to the IPL broadcast family,” adds Yannick Colaco, COO, Nimbus. “Since its inception only 3 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.”

Sportsnet ONE will be home to 36 group-stage matches for the 2011 IPL.  Rogers Sportsnet will present another 38 matches on Pay-per-View, including 34 from the group stage, three playoff games and the championship match.