Posted at 7:12 a.m., Monday, June 11, 2007
Disney's ESPN buys cricket site, boosts Internet range
By Sam Sheringham
Bloomberg News Service
The 14-year-old database offers news, statistics and live commentary on international and domestic cricket matches from around the world. ESPN Web sites include one dedicated to soccer and another for Spanish speakers.
"Growing our business in the online world is vital for us to serve sports fans," said Russell Wolff, managing director of ESPN International, in a statement that didn't reveal financial terms. "Cricinfo is a tremendous property with a great fan base and it will be a strong addition to ESPN."
Cricinfo, which carries the statistics of all 45,000 cricketers who have played the game at first-class level, says it reaches more than 7 million users every month. Cricket matches, which can last up to five days, lend themselves to Internet coverage because they are heavy on statistics.
The Wisden Group produces the annual Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, the sport's main reference source. The company also owns Hawk-Eye, the sports replay technology used in cricket and tennis. The system will be deployed to determine line calls at this month's Wimbledon Championships for the first time.
