Betfair, the world’s leading betting exchange, today announced it will sponsor test cricket on Channel 4 this summer. It is the award-winning company’s first broadcast sponsorship.
Beginning on May 22nd, the Betfair and Betfair Poker sponsorship will cover the npower test cricket series: England v Bangladesh and England v Australia. The six-figure deal also includes The Cricket Show, a weekly half-hour show transmitting from 22nd May until 10th September and Betfair branding throughout www.channel4.com/cricket.
Live coverage and highlight programmes begin on 26th May until 30th May when England play Bangladesh. From 3rd to 7th June, highlights from the previous week’s play will be shown. Live coverage and evening highlights from The Ashes begin on 21st to 25th July with further tests being played from 4th to 8thAugust, 11th to 15thAugust, 25th to 29th August and finally from 8th to 12th September.
Paul Witten, Betfair’s Head of Customer Acquisition said: “We are delighted to be able to announce our first broadcast sponsorship with C4 for The Ashes this summer. The Ashes is the highlight of the sporting calendar and the most eagerly-awaited series for a number of years. We are confident that Betfair’s involvement will give the C4 armchair viewer an insight into a new and exciting way to bet.”
Notes to Editors
Betfair
Betfair has pioneered the concept of ‘exchange betting’ - a new form of bookmaking that uses internet technology to enable punters to bet at odds set by other punters, rather than a bookmaker. Betfair employs around 500 people in its Hammersmith headquarters, matches over 2,000,000 bets every day (up to 12,000 every minute), and has over 300,000 registered customers. The company has won several high-profile awards, notably the Ernst and Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2002 and the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2003. Further recognition came in 2004 when Betfair won three awards, including CBI’s Growing Business Award for Company of the Year.
Betfair has revolutionised betting because it allows punters to bet “in running”, which means placing bets once an event has started. Cricket is particularly well-suited to in-running betting because the length of the match offers numerous trading opportunities.
Betfair, the world’s leading betting exchange, today announced it will sponsor test cricket on Channel 4 this summer. It is the award-winning company’s first broadcast sponsorship.