Viacom18 will exclusively present the South African premier T20 League in India.
Viacom18 Sports India, India’s newest network of sports, announced today a 10-year partnership that will exclusively present SA20 in India, South Africa’s newly launched premier T20 league.
Viacom18 is changing the way sports fans experience their sport and creating one of India’s most loved media platforms. Viacom18 and the SA20 will collaborate closely to engage and grow cricket fans in India. The strong South African cricket roots, its domestic setup, and the popularity of its players among Indian fans will allow SA20 to be an international T20 league. South Africa and India have a long-standing cricket relationship. This partnership will strengthen the relationship while providing high-quality T20 action for Indian fans.
Cricket South Africa (CSA), is making every effort to provide a highly entertaining and competitive show. They encourage all marquee players to participate in the SA20 tournament.
Six teams will play each other twice in the league’s round-robin stage, before moving on to the semifinals and final. Over four weeks, 33 matches will take place starting January 10, 2023. These six teams, Joburg Super Kings and Pretoria Capitals as well as Durban’s Super Giants Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Paarl Royals, are all owned by teams from various leagues around the world, including the Indian Premier League.
“We continue to offer fans an immersive and engaging experience by strengthening our sports portfolio with some of the best cricket action through SA20,” said Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj. “T20 is the most popular cricket format with Indian fans. The history and legacy of South African cricket and the popularity of South African cricketers in India make it a thrilling proposition for cricket fans in India. We expect significant viewership and fan engagement as the event will be played in prime-time.”
“Today is a ground-breaking day for South African cricket. This long-term partnership between the SA20 and Viacom18 as our official Indian broadcaster is a catalyst that supports our ambitions to build the world’s second biggest league,” said SA20 League Commissioner and former South Africa captain Graeme Smith. “With 6 IPL owners expanding their brands in South Africa, Viacom18 is the perfect partner to take the SA20 into the homes of the passionate and cricket-loving Indian market.”
“The benefits to domestic cricket will be far-reaching with more South African players exposed to a global cricket audience and a stimulus to build a strong and sustainable cricket ecosystem. As SA20, we look forward to working with the dynamic team at Viacom18 to build a world-class league,” Smith added.
Six teams signed over 100 players in the inaugural SA20 auction held in September. Each team could only sign up seven international cricketers and ten South Africans. Each team can have four international players in their XI for every match. Each team has also chosen to sign up one young, uncapped player.
International stars like Quinton De Kock, Faf du Plessis, and Kagiso Raba will be seen at the SA20.
Viacom18 has announced that JioCinema will live stream all matches and provide curated content about the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022(TM). From 20 November through 18 _ December, the world’s most prestigious show, the football World Cup, which occurs once every four years, will only be available on JioCinema or Sports18 platforms.
Viacom18 has added the SA20 to its portfolio of world-class sporting events. This includes the Indian Premier League and FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 (TM), NBA and Diamond Leagues, LaLiga, Serie A, and Ligue 1 as well as top ATP, and BWF events.
