Picture Credit: Twitter
SA20, the novel T20 league originating from
South Africa has finally found the Indian broadcaster in form of Viacom 18 Sports
for 10 years. The inaugural edition of the tournament will commence on January
10, 2023 and will be played until February.
Viacom 18 Sports is a joint venture between
Reliance Industries-backed Network 18, James Murdoch-Uday Shankar’s Bodhi Tree
Systems and Viacom CBS. With this development, the tournament will be broadcasted
on the Sports 18 television channel, while the digital streaming partner will
be the Jio platform. Although the final value of the deal is not confirmed, it
is said to be around 100 million for 10 years.
Earlier this year, Viacom 18 also bagged the
digital media rights of the IPL 2023-27 for a total of 410 matches, while
shelling out INR 50 Crore per match.
On the momentous occasion of securing SA20 rights,
Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj reckoned that they are excited to offer
seamless experience to the Indian fans. He further thinks that the top talents
in South Africa and around the world will contest a thrilling contest, which will
be enjoyable for the fans and gain them viewership.
"We continue to offer fans an immersive
and engaging experience by strengthening our sports portfolio with some of the
best cricket action through SA20," said Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj.
"T20 is the most popular cricket format with Indian fans. The history and
legacy of South Africa cricket and the popularity of South African cricketers
in India make it a thrilling proposition for cricket fans in India. We expect
significant viewership and fan engagement as the event will be played in
prime-time."
SA20 League commissioner
and former South African cricketer Graeme Smith hoped that Viacom 18 will help
them cement SA20 as the second-best T20 tournament in the world.
"With
six IPL owners expanding their brands in South Africa, Viacom18 are the perfect
partner to take the SA20 into the homes of the passionate and cricket-loving
Indian market," the former SA captain said.
A total of 33
matches have been slated to take place between six teams, Joburg Super Kings,
Pretoria Capitals, Durban's Super Giants, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Paarl Royals
and MI Cape Town.
All the top
South African players like David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tristan
Stubbs and Dewald Brevis will mark their presence in the league. The
international star players will be Jos Buttler, Harry Brook and Jason Holder.