SVG TV: Cricket coverage not free

20.OCT.06

The Barbados-based Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) said a hefty donation received from Cable & Wireless would ensure extensive but not free coverage of the 2007 ICC World Cup in the West Indies. It would also help with the production costs associated with coverage of the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy in India.

Last week Cable & Wireless donated US$1.25 million to CMC but Michael Whyte, CMC’s Commercial and New Business Development Manager said that its regional television partners will require to seek additional sponsorship to enable them to broadcast the games.{{more}}

“We welcome the partnership with Cable & Wireless which means that CMC, the Official Broadcast Partner in the Caribbean for the World Cup, and by extension regional broadcasters, will be able to produce significant coverage of the event,” he said in a news release last weekend.

“We have projected that CMC would have to spend close to over US $5 million to cover all of its costs to provide the kind of extensive coverage that we have planned and would do justice to the Caribbean hosting the World Cup. A significant portion of the costs attached to that coverage however, will have to be borne by our regional broadcast partners, so there are several opportunities for sponsors and advertisers – once they meet the criteria – to work with the regional broadcast partners to ensure that there is coverage of the event right across the Caribbean.”

Managing Director of SVG Broadcasting Corp, Paul MacLeish, said that it is costing his station $30,000 for the right to broadcast the game and this must be paid by year end. SVG TV has exclusive rights to coverage in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

CMC will distribute television coverage of all 51 matches in the World Cup, produce special television news reports, produce radio coverage of close to 40 matches, as well as provide facilities for regional broadcasters to provide unilateral coverage of the event.

This is the third World Cup that will be brought to the region through the CMC network, and is the largest project the regional broadcaster has embarked upon to date – even greater than its involvement with the Olympic Games.

The agreement also assists CMC and regional broadcasters to bring coverage of the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy that started in India on Saturday.