T

he International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced two new global partnerships, with Sportradar and FTX Trading Limited, ahead of the men’s T20 World Cup, which began on 17 October.

With the Sportradar partnership, the company will become the official data distribution and official live streaming partner of the ICC for eight international tournaments through to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023.

As part of the partnership, Sportradar will use its Cricket Live Score Plus (CLS+) tool to provide live ball-by-ball match data to media platforms, as well as integrate official ICC data into its Premium Cricket Service (PCS) to power the ICC’s digital platforms.

Sportradar managing director for sports content and partnerships, David Lampitt, said: “Cricket is among the most popular sports globally, and we see huge potential to grow its fan base still further, helping fans interact with the game on an even deeper level.”

“Our partnership with the ICC is an exciting step towards engaging those new fans and, with the full breadth of our unique technology powering it, we will deliver enhanced cricket content globally, across a range of platforms,” Lampitt said.

Meanwhile, the FTX partnership will see the cryptocurrency platform sponsor all ICC events up to the 2023 Men’s Cricket World Cup.

On the FTX deal, ICC chief commercial officer, Anurag Dahiya, said: “FTX has successfully established itself in a very dynamic sector as one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges.”

“Their innovative and ambitious approach matches well with the energy of our sport,” Dahiya said.

FTX founder and CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, said the partnership highlights the success of FTX in sports sponsorship recently, after signing partnerships with the MLB and the naming rights for the Miami Heat’s stadium.

“Cricket is a long-established sport with a deep history and team ties that go back generations,” Bankman-Fried said.

“Cryptocurrency is still in its infancy and at FTX we are looking to forge a new path in mostly unchartered territory.

“This partnership represents the marriage of those two concepts.

“It is an honour to be a part of the men’s and women’s cricket tournaments and we look forward to building a strong relationship with the International Cricket Council in the years to come,” he said.