Getting the game to the masses has been one of the greatest needs for any sport. As lovers of female cricket, we have been advocating for greater coverage of women playing cricket. While a lot is yet to be done, a positive announcement makes our way.
Amazon Prime Video has registered its name as the first streaming service in India to fetch rights for exclusive live cricket from a major cricketing board. Amazon recently announced that it has acquired Indian territory rights for New Zealand Cricket. It is interesting to note that the deal will enable Prime Video the right to stream all international cricketing fixtures to be held in New Zealand.
The deal further covers both men and women’s International games. Men and women playing ODI, T20, and Tests starting from late 2021 will be available for fans on the streaming platform. Gaurav Gandhi said that “We are thrilled to work with New Zealand Cricket on this endeavor as they have a strong, passionate and much-loved cricket team, and the cricketing rivalry between the two countries has been fantastic. We are happy to make this collaboration with New Zealand Cricket our first live sports offering in India, and are confident that our Prime members will be delighted with this initiative”. He is the director and country general manager at Amazon Prime Video.
He further says that the platform is looking to make its way to the masses with their favorite game. Comments from David White were also reported. The chief executive of New Zealand Cricket said that “One of NZC’s key goals is to extend our teams’ global reach and to build closer relationships around the world and, in terms of that particular objective, we don’t think we could be in better hands. India has always been important for viewership of NZC; no other country follows cricket like India, so it’s exciting to be announcing this agreement with India’s leading streamer”.
Amazon has been close to sporting fans and especially the game of cricket. ‘The Test’ was received wholeheartedly by fans and the reach of the streaming platform is expected to increase the reach of female cricket on Indian landmass.
A student who enjoys studying cricket more than anything else, keen to learn the insights of the women’s game.