ESPN acquires Cricket Website

ESPN and The Wisden Group today announced that they had agreed to terms
for ESPN
’s acquisition of Cricinfo, the world
’s
leading cricket website.
“Growing our business in the on-line world is
vital for us to serve sports fans,” said Russell Wolff, managing
director of ESPN International.
“Cricinfo
is a tremendous property with a great fan base and it will be a strong
addition to ESPN.
”

Lynne Frank, managing director of ESPN, Europe, Middle East and Africa,
said:
“Cricket has a huge worldwide following
and Cricinfo has created a great product for cricket fans everywhere.
The acquisition complements our growing online business and underlines
the fact that ESPN is committed to serving a diverse fan base. We are
delighted that Cricinfo has joined the ESPN family.
”

The acquisition of Cricinfo enhances ESPN
’s
on-line portfolio, which includes ESPN.com – the U.S.
’s
premier online sports destination; ESPNdeportes.com – the number one
Spanish-language sports website among Spanish-preferred fans in the U.S.
and ESPNsoccernet.com – the world
’s leading
English-language football website.

Cricket lends itself perfectly to online coverage: the length of matches
and the statistics-rich nature of the game combine to drive high global
usage and build loyalty.

Wisden Group director Mark Getty, said:
“Cricinfo
has developed into a significant cricket brand in its own right,
combining huge global popularity with strong commercial success. ESPN is
a major sports broadcaster and international rights holder and will
provide the perfect environment for Cricinfo to further realise its
enormous potential. The Wisden Group will continue to focus on its
Hawk-Eye sports technology business in cricket, tennis and a growing
range of other sports.
”

And Tom Gleeson, Managing Director of Cricinfo, added,
“We
have had a strong working relationship with ESPN for a number of years
and we know how successful they are in providing innovative online
sports content. We look forward to working with the ESPN team and
drawing on its expertise in sports marketing and digital media.
”