From rxpgnews.com
STAR family to launch cricket channel
By IANS,
Apr 24, 2007 - 6:18:30 PM
New Delhi, April 24 - ESPN-STAR Sports Tuesday announced the launch a cricket specific channel from June this year.
The new channel would telecast 24 test matches and 42 One-day Internationals in the current year, including India's upcoming tour of England comprising four tests and seven One-day Internationals.
ESPN-STAR Sports will also beam the Twenty20 World Championship from South Africa in September by virtue of having won the rights to telecast International Cricket Council tournaments till 2012. The Twenty20 tournament is the first of the several tournaments it will telecast.
'The launch of STAR Cricket is part of our long term strategy to further strengthen our offering to the sports fans in the country,' said R.C. Venkateish, managing director of ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd.
STAR Cricket will be the 15th channel from the ESPN-STAR Sports family in the Asia Pacific region.
The channel will also showcase feature cricket programme, including reality shows, archival programming and magazine shows.
ESPN-STAR Sports' expert commentator Ravi Shastri, who will be going to Bangladesh as the Indian team's cricket manager, welcomed the new channel.
'Cricket is a religion in India - the interest, passion and emotion this game evokes will remain unmatched for all times to come,' he said.
'There is a huge interest for live, quality, first class cricketing action from the top test playing nations as well as content meticulously customised for the Indian audiences.'
Presenter Harsha Bhogle said the channel would have everything to satiate fans' hunger.
'I hope a real cricket lover will feel he is at home with STAR Cricket for he will get to see more than international cricket,' he said.
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