ICC deals with IMG to live stream ICC World Cup qualification matches globally until April 2023

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has taken a step forward to make the sport of cricket more popular globally by striking a deal with IMG. IMG has the permission to live stream as many as 541 cricket matches globally including 145 fixtures from women’s cricket. Also, this will be the first time that all the 80 Associate members will enjoy live streaming for their matches globally.

The live streaming deal between IMG and ICC is up until April 2023 and will cover the qualification matches of all the three upcoming World Cups including men’s T20 World Cup 2022, men’s World Cup 2023, and women’s T20 World Cup 2023. The official announcement of the same was made by the game’s governing body on Thursday, February 25.

Speaking about his new collaboration with IMG, ICC Chief Executive, Manu Sawhney said that is an important step on the road to reach more cricket fans across the globe and it also supports ICC’s long-term ambitions for greater sustainability for all of the Members.

“We are delighted to be partnering with IMG to deliver more cricket to more fans than ever before. This is a significant step forward for our sport and increases the size of our platform globally, which supports our long-term ambitions for greater sustainability for all of our Members,” ICC Chief Executive, Manu Sawhney said in a media release as quoted by Indian Express.

ICC reveals the details of the deal with IMG

ICC revealed the details of the collaboration stating, “Of the 541 matches that will be broadcast, 145 are women’s matches and 80 Associate Members will see fixtures from 41 qualifier events being produced and distributed, with more than 50 of those Members enjoying global coverage at an ICC event for the first time ever.”

The Men’s T20 World Cup qualification for the very first time will see teams like Hungary, Romania and Serbia participating in the event while Finland will also be hosting the ICC matches for the very first time. All those matches will be covered in the live streaming by IMG including that of Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 qualifications.

“In the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 pathway, eight teams: Bhutan, Botswana, Cameroon, France, Malawi, Myanmar, Philippines, and Turkey will be making their debuts in international ICC Women’s events,” the ICC said.