World Cup telecast live in Caribbean

Come February 8, you will see glitz, glamour and razzmatazz of the cricket World Cup live.

Cricket lovers from across the Caribbean were delighted yesterday when it was officially announced the tournament would be broadcast on radio and television until the final on March 23.

As was stated in the DAILY NATION yesterday, the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) reached an agreement on rights with United States-based EchoStar Communications and regional fans will get to see the fortunes of the West Indies live.

"The agreement paves the way for broadcasters across the region to access the CMC - 42 matches (a match per day) for radio stations, and all 54 matches for live and delayed television coverage," Gary Allen, CMC's chief operating officer said yesterday.

"For television, the usual high standard of television production associated with the event will be made available to broadcasters."

Most of the matches will be day matches commencing at 4 a.m. Eastern Caribbean time. The day/night matches will start at 8:30 a.m.

All but one of the West Indies' matches will be broadcast live from South Africa on radio. For that match, against Canada, CMC will use the option of bringing coverage via on-screen commentary with a team set up at the local studio. The on-screen component could also be used in case of a technical hitch from South Africa.

There was much tension in the region in the past few weeks as it appeared the US$1 million being asked by EchoStar was not materialising. Allen noted that it was when the various media houses mandated CMC to make a bid last week that it showed regional unity and helped to seal the deal.

Barbados is among the seven territories confirmed for radio coverage, and among the 15 territories for television. Radio coverage is yet to be confirmed in four territories, and three countries have until a few days to confirm their desire to have television coverage.