Asian Television Network International Limited (ATN) (TSX-SAT), Canada’s largest distributor of world class cricket, announces it has secured the exclusive Canadian broadcast rights for the third ICC T20 World Cup from April 30, 2010.
ATN, a pioneer in broadcasting to Canada’s South Asian community, will offer the World Cup live on Pay per View across Canada on Bell TV and Shaw Direct; in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and parts of Ontario on Shaw Cable; in British Columbia and Alberta on TELUS; in Saskatchewan and Manitoba on Sasktel and MTS respectively; and in Ontario and New Brunswick on Rogers Cable.
With two electrifying series in 2007 and 2009, the ICC World T20 has established itself with global audiences as one of the most watched sporting events in the world.
“ATN is excited to bring Canadians the T20 World Cup as a follow-up to the Indian Premier League which featured great players from around the world,” said Shan Chandrasekar, President and CEO of ATN. “We are proud to be working with ESPN Star Sports on this most popular and fast paced format of international cricket.”
The inaugural event, the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, was staged in South Africa in September 2007 and won by India. Pakistan won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 in England in June 2009.
The ICC World T20 is now an established part of the international cricket calendar and this year’s event is in the West Indies, in Barbados, Guyana, St. Lucia and St. Kitts.
The world’s top 12 ranked teams which will compete in the series are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe. Players to watch out for this year will be Tilakaratne Dilshan from Sri Lanka who has scored the most runs in T20 WC games, Chris Gayle from West Indies who holds the record for the highest individual score in T20 WC games and Yuvraj Singh from India who has the highest strike rate and the most sixes in the T20 WC tournament.
