THE NBA finals from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. The Champions League football final from the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The Tour de France from Paris. Grand Slam Tennis finals from London, New York, Paris and Melbourne.Add to that list the Caribbean Twenty20 from Kensington Oval in Bridgetown and the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.ESPN, which calls itself the worldwide leader in sports, is about to embark on unprecedented coverage of regional cricket that will attract 61 million viewers worldwide across its many networks.For the last few years, ESPN has beamed cricket on its Asian networks, but never before has it had live coverage on its Caribbean networks.It is all part of a move of wanting to have more of a presence in this part of the world, according to Bernard Stewart, vice-president of ESPN Caribbean and Maritime Media.“We have been spending a great deal of time in the region with various sporting bodies explaining how we’d like to be connected to the Caribbean,” Stewart told MIDWEEK SPORT.“We’ve had very healthy and fruitful conversations about our goal in terms of how we see our position in the Caribbean. It fits in very well with what the West Indies Cricket Board is looking to do. “The best way to look at it is two people who are looking very much to re-engage sport on a global scale and to put the Caribbean on a global stage.”For the Caribbean Twenty20, which bowls off in Barbados tomorrow, regional fans will be able to view all the matches live on the two ESPN Caribbean networks ESPN and ESPN2.The ground-breaking agreement also includes unprecedented live multimedia coverage on ESPN digital platforms including ESPN3.com, ESPN Inc.’s US broadband platform, and ESPN360 broadband platforms in Australia and Latin America. The agreement also includes television coverage on ESPN networks in Britain, the Middle East and Africa, and in Australia and New Zealand.ESPN’s entry to cricket in the Caribbean was something that had been on the cards for some time.“The question is how do you differentiate your involvement in a sport from others? The best way to do that is to be a good partner – to come into the region and redefine and re-energise our presence,” Stewart said.“We wanted to use the full ESPN portfolio of media platforms to engage in the product. This is the right time for us.”Stewart, who joined ESPN in 1980 and was one of the early pioneers of the company’s development, was named vice-president of ESPN in the Caribbean in December, 2008. In this newly created role, he heads ESPN’s businesses in the Caribbean and the Cruise Ship business. He oversees ESPN’s programme syndication business throughout the region and is responsible for developing new digital media businesses such as the company’s broadband service ESPN360 and other initiatives. Many of us in this part of the world might look at ESPN as primarily catering to a North American audience, but it has 45 networks around the world and its coverage of the Caribbean Twenty20 isn’t exactly aimed at getting Americans to buy into cricket.“We take a global view of things or an American view of things. We also take a view of regional sports fans who watch our networks in various parts of the world,” Stewart said.“We take all the pieces in the puzzle and put them together . . . . Various groups who have interest in cricket will enjoy it. “This is not about the US audience. This is about ESPN becoming more connected to the Caribbean and knowing that we have an opportunity to strengthen that network through sport in the region.”Ultimately, ESPN wants to expand its coverage of Caribbean events.It might look at doing the longer forms of cricket and even televise other sports.It isn’t a priority at the moment, however.“What we want to do is to make sure that our network is attractive to sports fans.” Stewart said.“Our image for sports fans is to make them understand that we want to connect with them in ways that are meaningful. That means finding the right sport. “There are a variety of things we are looking at, but there is no great rush. We’re taking our time.”
