Cricinfo secures official PCB Internet Rights

CRICINFO SECURES OFFICIAL PAKISTAN CRICKET INTERNET RIGHTS New deal signed with Pakistan Cricket Board to run until 2006
CricInfo.com, the world's leading cricket web site and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today signed an agreement making CricInfo the exclusive host of the official Pakistan web site for the next five years. In addition to hosting the official site (www.pcb.cricinfo.com), the deal has been expanded to include the production of official merchandise, online ticketing and internet broadcast rights.

CricInfo will now be the official data supplier for the PCB, giving the internet company rights to data sale and syndication and exclusive in-stadia internet scoring. Plans are in place for developing an extensive online shop, selling a wide range of official merchandise and SMS and WAP services for Pakistani cricket supporters.

Pakistani cricket supporters all over the world will have greater access to their team than ever. Fans will be able to read all the latest news and views; follow international and domestic matches live on the internet, with coverage including live audio and video, live text commentary and ball-by-ball scorecards; browse the extensive archive with individual statistics and photographs of players; and join in with fantasy cricket, quizzes, competitions and other interactive games.

"This is a deal of great importance to CricInfo", said Peter Griffiths, CricInfo's Managing Director. "It opens up new commercial possibilities for us in the syndication area in addition to allowing us to build the world's leading site for Pakistan cricket. This is also the first agreement we have made with an international board with regards to the production of official merchandise.

"In the PCB we have a partner who has a similarly innovative view on the development and future direction of cricket and who understand the important role the internet can play in that. The recent series between England and Pakistan reached a large global audience on the internet through our coverage which included live audio commentary."

"CricInfo and the PCB have been working together since 1997", said Brig Munawar Rana, Director of the PCB, "We know that they can offer and the high quality of their product. Working with CricInfo, we can offer Pakistani cricket fans the best internet service available and for it to reach as many people globally as possible. This was recently demonstrated by live audio coverage of the England Tour and ball by ball scoring of the domestic Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the Pakistan Probables practice matches."


MEDIA OFFICE
5th February, 2001