IMG Media Acquire Test Cricket Deals with BSkyB

IMG Media, a part of sport, fashion and media company IMG worldwide, have agreed long-term media rights deals with BSkyB, the UK’s leading sports broadcaster for both Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa.

The individual deals mean Sky Sports will show England’s tour matches in Australia and South Africa until 2016 and 2020, respectively.

Chris Guinness, SVP Head of IMG Media, Asia Pacific for IMG, said: “We are delighted to have concluded these deals. Sky Sports is the leading broadcaster of cricket in the UK and Ireland and they were intent on strengthening their year round coverage of the game, especially with England’s forthcoming Ashes Tour in Australia next year and tours to South Africa, the current top Test team in the world, in 2015 and 2019.”

Barney Francis, Managing Director of Sky Sports, said: “The Ashes is one of world sport’s greatest events and we can now guarantee the next three series, home and away.  Test cricket has always been core to Sky Sports and as England look to take the Test crown back from South Africa our viewers can see their next two series over there.

“This series of rights renewals gives us the strongest line up of live sport for our viewers to watch at home or on the move.”