ECB Appoint Octagon CSI to Advise on Media Rights Negotiations
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has appointed The Interpublic Group (Octagon CSI), one of the leading sports marketing agencies in the world, as consultants to advise the ECB on the upcoming domestic media rights negotiations beyond September 2005, when current contracts expire. Octagon CSI will also be responsible for the servicing of this contract for the four year period.
The unparalleled level of experience and knowledge of the Octagon CSI team and the benefits added by other divisions of The Interpublic Group will enable ECB to extract optimum value from the broadcast rights, covering all tiers of cricket in England and Wales, including all home Test Matches, One-Day Internationals, international Twenty20 cricket and the domestic county programme, including the highly successful Twenty20 Cup, about to reach its climax in 2004.
The ECB has put together a strong team for the negotiations, which will be led by Giles Clarke, the Chairman of the ECB’s Marketing Advisory Committee, and from ECB executive level by Tom Harrison, ECB Acting Commercial Director.
The broadcast negotiations come at a time when cricket in England and Wales is thriving, with the England Test team having reached number two in the world rankings for the first time.
International attendance figures for 2004 have been strong. Crowds for the 2004 NatWest Series increased by 18% over 2003, while total attendance for npower Test Matches to date are up by 28% over the corresponding period in 2003. In addition, domestic attendances rose in all four county competitions from 2002 to 2003, while Twenty20 Cup crowds are estimated to increase by around 12% for this year over last season - and this includes a record Twenty20 Cup crowd of 26,500 for the Middlesex versus Surrey match at Lord’s.
The ECB is confident of a highly successful series of agreements. Giles Clarke said, 'The ECB is looking forward to the negotiations and welcome Octagon CSI to the ECB team. English cricket is enjoying an unprecedented period of success with vast attendances for both domestic and international competitions. We have seen enormous national interest in the nation’s number one summer sport. ECB’s position is one of great strength, with significant broadcaster interest being shown.'
Tom Harrison said, 'We are delighted to have Octagon CSI on board to help us maximise the value cricket can gain from the broadcast rights for supporters and for the game. It’s an extremely exciting time for all cricket fans, not only internationally, but also domestically with our full and varied county programme.'
Chris Guinness, president of Octagon CSI said, 'We are proud of having reached an agreement with the ECB, this was an important step for Octagon to reaffirm our position as cricket’s number one sports agency. English cricket has never been stronger and our expertise and knowledge of the game will undoubtedly be of great service to the ECB.'
For ECB information, contact ECB Corporate Affairs on 020 7432 1200
For Octagon information contact Dan Markham, Head of Marketing and Business Development at Octagon CSI on 020 7751 2861
The unparalleled level of experience and knowledge of the Octagon CSI team and the benefits added by other divisions of The Interpublic Group will enable ECB to extract optimum value from the broadcast rights, covering all tiers of cricket in England and Wales, including all home Test Matches, One-Day Internationals, international Twenty20 cricket and the domestic county programme, including the highly successful Twenty20 Cup, about to reach its climax in 2004.
The ECB has put together a strong team for the negotiations, which will be led by Giles Clarke, the Chairman of the ECB’s Marketing Advisory Committee, and from ECB executive level by Tom Harrison, ECB Acting Commercial Director.
The broadcast negotiations come at a time when cricket in England and Wales is thriving, with the England Test team having reached number two in the world rankings for the first time.
International attendance figures for 2004 have been strong. Crowds for the 2004 NatWest Series increased by 18% over 2003, while total attendance for npower Test Matches to date are up by 28% over the corresponding period in 2003. In addition, domestic attendances rose in all four county competitions from 2002 to 2003, while Twenty20 Cup crowds are estimated to increase by around 12% for this year over last season - and this includes a record Twenty20 Cup crowd of 26,500 for the Middlesex versus Surrey match at Lord’s.
The ECB is confident of a highly successful series of agreements. Giles Clarke said, 'The ECB is looking forward to the negotiations and welcome Octagon CSI to the ECB team. English cricket is enjoying an unprecedented period of success with vast attendances for both domestic and international competitions. We have seen enormous national interest in the nation’s number one summer sport. ECB’s position is one of great strength, with significant broadcaster interest being shown.'
Tom Harrison said, 'We are delighted to have Octagon CSI on board to help us maximise the value cricket can gain from the broadcast rights for supporters and for the game. It’s an extremely exciting time for all cricket fans, not only internationally, but also domestically with our full and varied county programme.'
Chris Guinness, president of Octagon CSI said, 'We are proud of having reached an agreement with the ECB, this was an important step for Octagon to reaffirm our position as cricket’s number one sports agency. English cricket has never been stronger and our expertise and knowledge of the game will undoubtedly be of great service to the ECB.'
For ECB information, contact ECB Corporate Affairs on 020 7432 1200
For Octagon information contact Dan Markham, Head of Marketing and Business Development at Octagon CSI on 020 7751 2861