LONDON: English cricket chiefs on Monday announced a six-year broadcast deal with beIN Media Group that will boost coverage of international and domestic cricket in the Middle East and north Africa.
The deal will give Qatar's beIN the rights to screen coverage from all the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB's) home international men's and women's series as well as domestic competitions from 2018 until 2024.
As part of the agreement, the group has announced plans to introduce a dedicated cricket channel in the region and will broadcast the game in more than 24 countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt and Morocco.
Earlier this month beIN signed a similar deal with Cricket Australia, starting with the upcoming Ashes series.
"We're very pleased to welcome beIN Media Group to our broader family of broadcast partners and excited by their plans to create their own dedicated cricket channel for the first time," said ECB chief executive Tom Harrison.
"Our international and domestic teams are attracting an ever-expanding global audience and this new partnership will give even more cricket fans worldwide an opportunity to follow all the action and excitement from our game."
BeIN Media Group deputy chief executive Yousef Al-Obaidly said the deal would bring more of the world's best cricket to fans across the Middle East and north Africa.
"We are thrilled to partner with the ECB at such an exciting time for English cricket, building on a similar agreement signed this month with Cricket Australia," he said.
"Together, these acquisitions and the upcoming launch of our dedicated cricket channel will deliver high-quality, in-depth cricket coverage to the rapidly growing audience in the MENA region."
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