Dubai, Feb 1 (IANS): The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that Evision, the media and entertainment arm of e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group) has won the deal for rights to broadcast ICC men’s and women’s tournaments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region until the end of 2027.

The deal, for which the tender was put on the market by the ICC on September 15, 2023, includes the broadcast and digital segments of the rights for all matches of the 10 men’s and four women’s senior events, as well as U19 World Cups in both categories, up until the end of 2027.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Evision which is an exciting addition to our suite of broadcast partners. There is already a large cricket fan base across the Middle East and North Africa, but there is a tremendous opportunity to grow the sport further in this strategically important region,” said Geoff Allardice, ICC Chief Executive, in a statement.

Evision will begin its partnership with ICC from the ongoing U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup taking place in South Africa. ICC events will also be available on Evision's proprietary channel CricLife MAX which is available on STARZPLAY, an Evision group company and one of the top streaming services in the Middle East and North African region.

“This exclusive partnership with ICC is another step towards bringing the best and our commitment to cricket aficionados in the region. The broadcast of all ICC cricket events for the next four years is a promise to bring the exhilarating spirit of cricket directly to the hearts of our fans in MENA region.”

“It is an opportunity to experience immersive cricket like never before, as we elevate the game and unite enthusiasts through every boundary and wicket. Together, we're embarking on a thrilling journey of sporting passion and unparalleled excitement,” said Olivier Bramly, Evision CEO.

In the last 1.5 years, the ICC has been busy finalising the media rights agreements for the various regions. In India last year, Disney Star had bagged rights to broadcast all ICC men's and women's events on its television and digital platforms.

Less than 48 hours after signing the deal, it announced that they had licensed the TV broadcasting rights of the Men's and Under-19 events to Zee, who failed to honour the deal owing to its issues in a merger with Sony, which fell apart recently.

ICC then struck a deal with Sky Sports to broadcast all ICC tournaments in the UK and Ireland till the end of 2031. It went on to retain its deal with SuperSport for the Sub-Saharan region till 2031.

For the USA and Canada regions, it got Willow TV on board until the end of 2027, while Amazon’s Prime Video won the deal to broadcast ICC tournaments in Australia for the same duration.