Abu Dhbai T10 League added another feather to their cap as they signed a deal with telecom giants Jio, who will stream the matches live to their strong base of 330 millions subscribers on their smart phones.
The matches will be broadcasted live on Jio's dedicated cricket channel. The live streaming of Abu Dhabi T10 League will be in partnership with SONY Liv and the same feed will be carried by Jio TV.
Jio has been at the forefront of accelerating the digital transformation of the country by making digital life accessible for every Indian.
This deal gives JioTV rights to broadcast all the 29 matches live thereby making the breakthrough cricket league accessible to the 330+ million Jio subscribers - a number that is growing by the day.
It also offers greater visibility for advertisers and stakeholders to a larger audience in India - the world's largest cricketing nation. In the past JioTV has consistently presented unique digital experiences of popular sporting events including the Winter Olympics, India's leading T20 leagues, Mzansi Super League, tri-nation Nidahas Trophy, English Football League, Carabao Cup finals among others.
"This is an exciting piece of news that will help Indian fans to see the exciting Abu Dhabi T10 League matches from anywhere in India - while at home, at work or on the move," Shaji Ul Mulk, Chairman of T10 Sports Management, said.
"We are extremely excited to be able to take the Abu Dhabi T10 League to a wider audience - deep into Indian society and its cricket-crazy fans who will be able to watch their favourite stars take the game of cricket to a new level.
"India's cricket fans will now have a wider access to the live matches telecast from the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi."
Following the exciting ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 finale, global cricket fever is set to sweep the UAE and cricket-crazy South Asia as Abu Dhabi T10 League prepares to bring all the top star cricketers to the international stage.
Eoin Morgan, the World Cup-winning captain of England, will definitely join the action once more as he has been playing in the ten-over format league since the beginning.
Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, struck a note of pride in commenting on Abu Dhabi's ever-increasing sporting reputation:
"Although we have hosted numerous local and international cricket events in the past, our commitment to host the Abu Dhabi T10 for the next five years serves as a wonderful addition to our gold star portfolio of world-class destination sporting events.
"It builds upon and expands our profile for bringing together the top athletes in world sport and offering elite competition and unparalleled entertainment value. Also, importantly, the new partnership with JioTV helps us to leverage massive interest in our new event among the most important fan base in India."
Further addressing the significance of hosting such a high-profile cricket event in the UAE, Saeed Al Saeed spoke on behalf of the Department of Culture and Tourism -- Abu Dhabi:
"Abu Dhabi and the UAE obviously share a special relationship with India and South Asian audiences. That's why it makes perfect sense to host the Abu Dhabi T10 -- to offer that unique excitement to fans and communities living here. And by the same token, bringing on board a network giant like Jio lets us share some of our local sporting spirit, so Indian cricket fans will get to see that we are as passionate about the game as they are."
The third season of the T10 League will showcase the most impressive collection of talent so far, headlined by several international cricket captains and newly minted World Cup heroes. Eoin Morgan will be joined by Pakistani favourite Shoaib Malik; West Indies captain Darren Sammy; Sri Lankan duo Angelo Matthews and fast-bowler Lasith Malinga; Australian favourites Shane Watson and Cameron White; and West Indians Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo - all putting their hands up for team selection in the 2019 Abu Dhabi T10 Draft.
Matthew Boucher, CEO of Abu Dhabi Cricket, said, "With the cooperation of so many key partners the groundwork for putting on a truly unparalleled sporting spectacle for this year's Abu Dhabi T10 is firmly in place. The fan base in India, which has been carefully crafted over the last two years, will now be a vital part of our success through the broadcast deal with Reliance and JioTV."
The breakthrough 10-over format compiles all of the cricket tactics and drama into 60 balls per side and 90 minutes of complete action. This fan-friendly version of cricket is the brainchild of T10 Sports Management Group Founder and Chairman, Shaji Ul Mulk.
Abu Dhabi T10 builds on the surging popularity of the global game and is the first-ever 10-over league in the world to receive the full backing and sanction of both the International Cricket Council and the Emirates Cricket Board. The eight teams of Abu Dhabi T10 League are preparing themselves for the draft, set for mid-September, to determine the full tournament line-ups.
Mubasher Usmani, General Secretary of the Emirates Cricket Board, said, "We are happy to see that the popularity of the UAE's home-grown T10 League is now growing fast and expanding deeper into all the societies of the cricket-playing countries. The deal with Jio will not only help take the tournament far and wide, but also raise the appeal of the ten-over format cricket and take it to the next level."