ESPN Star Sports will shell out $900 million for the commercial rights for the Twenty20 Champions League. Organizers said on Thursday the broadcaster had bid $900 million for a 10-year deal, plus some $75 million for marketing. The inaugural tournament will be held Dec. 3-10 with $6 million in prize money. It will feature eight teams, two each from Australia, India and South Africa and the champions from the England and Pakistan domestic leagues. ESPN-STAR, owned jointly by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and Walt Disney, was awarded the rights after bids were opened in Dubai late Wednesday on the sidelines of the International Cricket Council's annual awards night. “The commercial rights were won by ESPN STAR Sports with a bid of $975 million (including $75 million for marketing the tournament),” the organizers said in a statement. “This makes the Champions League Twenty20 the highest value cricket tournament on a per game basis,” it added. The Australian, Indian and South African boards will jointly organise the Champions League, an off-shoot of a lucrative Indian version launched this year. “We are absolutely delighted that after a fair and transparent process, we have what we believe to be the best commercial deal for the inaugural Champions League season and for cricket fans across the world,” Lalit Modi, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice president said in the release. ESPN-STAR, which also holds the rights for all ICC events including the World Cup, Champions Trophy and the T20 Worlds, said it was delighted to add the Champions League to its lineup. The organizers have set Sept. 25-Oct. 10, 2009 as the dates for the League's second edition which will be expanded to 12 teams.
