Indian state broadcaster to beam T20 World Cup
India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has completed preparations for ball-to-ball coverage of the International Cricket Council, (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to be played in the UAE and Oman from next week. The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) is the host of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to be played in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Al Amerat in Oman.
The Indian Ministry said Prasar Bharati, the state broadcaster, will be telecasting and airing the cricket matches. “As the countdown begins for the T20 World Cup 2021, Prasar Bharati network has in store 360 degree coverage of the tournament. Catering to the craze for cricket in India, state-run TV Doordarshan and All India Radio have planned mega coverage with live matches, radio commentary and special shows,” the Ministry announced.
Millions of Indians and other South Asians living in the Gulf are also expected to tune in to these broadcasts. Additionally, semi-final matches and the final will be telecast live on Doordarshan (DD) Sports and on DD FreeDish. Starting from 23rd October, All India Radio will broadcast live ball-by-ball commentary of all matches in English and in Hindi.
“In what will make TV watching of T20 World Cup a vastly more exciting experience, DD Sports has planned multiple shows which involve public participation. In a show named ‘Cricket Live’, there will be a ‘Public Ka Kaptaan’ component,” the Ministry said. In this segment, spectators in the stadiums in the UAE, Oman and viewers in India will be asked to wear the team Captain’s hat and take key decisions acting the role of Skipper.
In some interesting talk shows, All India Radio jockeys, along with cricket experts, will interact with public on DD Sports. “This is a product of content innovation at Prasar Bharati. All special shows on DD Sports will also be live-streamed on Prasar Bharati Sports YouTube channel.