Select matches from the ongoing inaugural season of the Major League Cricket (MLC) Twenty20 competition in the US are now being aired domestically by CBS Sports Network, owned by US media conglomerate Paramount.
The first MLC match on CBS took place yesterday (July 17), as the Texas Super Kings defeated MI New York in Grand Prairie, Texas. The next match from the six-team men's league to feature on the national broadcaster sees the Seattle Orcas take on the Super Kings on July 21.
Meanwhile, over-the-top streaming platform Sling TV has also come on board as a coverage partner and will stream every match nationwide.
The tie-ups with CBS and Sling TV add to the existing domestic coverage that MLC (running from July 13 to 30) has in place. Last week, it struck a deal encompassing all matches from the first edition of the tournament with cricket channel Willow TV.
Bringing CBS on board, however, represents a significant coup for the league, giving MLC a presence on one of the US’ mainstream and most prominent sports broadcasters.
The broadcasts will air live on CBS Sports Network, and will “feature a world-class production,” with a 30-camera setup for the matches at Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas and Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina.
The Sling TV tie-up, meanwhile, will include “brand placements, jersey integration, and on-site activations” as well as the streaming element. MLC has said that Sling TV will offer its subscribers all the action for $7 this month.
Liz Riemersma, vice president of strategy, business development, and international at Sling TV, said: “Sling offers both domestic and international channels to US-based customers, and we are excited to help bring the world-class cricket MLC will offer to existing cricket fan bases and new American audiences.”
Vijay Srinivasan, co-founder of Major League Cricket, commented on the CBS tie-up: “Major League Cricket showcases the very best players from the world’s second most popular sport playing right here in America.
"Billions of fans worldwide love this sport and we’re delighted to bring adrenaline-packed matches taking place this July in front of sold-out crowds in Texas and North Carolina to the wide audience CBS Sports Network reaches.”
In terms of MLC’s international broadcast footprint, the competition’s organizers have agreements in place with networks such as Viacom18 in India, ARY in Pakistan, TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) in the UK, and Foxtel in Australia.
MLC is owned by American Cricket Enterprises, a group that is backed by Mehta and Srinivasan. The company won a competitive tender in May 2019 to fund and develop a professional T20 league in the US. MLC has been planning to deploy more than $120 million to launch this year.
Just before the first edition of MLC began on July 13, online betting brand Betway was unveiled as the competition’s main commercial partner.
MLC is now characterized as being “powered by Betway.”
The six teams competing are Texas Super Kings, Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, and Washington Freedom.
