Setanta eyes up a bigger prize

Cricket fans in England who were up in arms when Sky Sports were given an exclusive four-year deal to televise all England's home matches live have fortified themselves with the hope that come 2009, when the existing contract is up for renewal, the BBC or Channel 4 will re-enter the fray and bring coverage back to free-to-air terrestrial TV.

However, a new player has emerged on the scene in the form of Setanta Sports, a rival to Sky but one with far fewer subscribers. Last month Setanta secured the rights to broadcast the Indian Premier League - neither Sky nor any terrestrial channel bid - and it has now set its sights on the bigger prize.

"It's something we are looking at," Trevor East, Setanta's director of sports, told The Wisden Cricketer. "I wouldn't rule out Test matches ... I wouldn't rule anything out. Cricket's one sports we haven't had any involvement with in our short growth period and it's been on my list.

"If [the IPL] is a success we might look at some other cricket properties."

Setanta will take the Indian feed for the IPL but if they do expand their coverage of the game then East said they would look at finding their own presenters.