TV bonanza for 2003 World Cup

All being well, all 54 games in the 2003 World Cup will be broadcast live on terrestrial television in South Africa, said tournament director Ali Bacher this week.

Bacher and United Cricket Board president Percy Sonn addressed the SATV board this week to explain their plans and hopes for cricket's biggest one-day tournament and came away believing that the South African national broadcaster understood the need to spread the game as widely as possible.

The television and sponsorship rights for the tournament were sold to the World Sports Group for US$550-million this year in a deal which covers the 2003 and 2007 World Cups, the ICC knockout tournaments in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006, the Under 19 World Cups in 2002, 2004 and 2006 and the Associated Members Trophies in 2001 and 2005.

Representatives of WSG together with International Cricket Council chief executive David Richards will visit South Africa in late August to meet local sponsors such as SA Breweries, Standard Bank, MTN, Toyota and Dimension Data. They will also hold discussions with SATV and Supersport in regard to the broadcasting production arrangements for the tournament.

SATV and Supersport are expected to tender for the right to become co-host broadcasters of the World Cup. SATV will televise games within South Africa with Supersport broadcasting the tournament to the rest of Africa by satellite.

Bacher said he also hoped that the six to eight matches to be played in Zimbabwe and Kenya would be televised in these two countries by the national broadcasters.

"We hope that South African cricket's traditional sponsors will be given the first right of refusal to get involved in our World Cup," said Bacher. "And obviously SATV and Supersport, the two broadcasters who are synonymous with cricket will have a big role to play."