FREEPORT, THE BAHAMAS--(Marketwired - Jul 1, 2013) - Columbus International Inc., which operates the largest cable franchise in the Caribbean under the brand name "Flow," has announce a new programming partnership with Ten Cricket, a 24/7 cricket channel, operated by Zee Americas. Cricket, one of the most watched games in the world will now be shown across the region, as the first all-cricket station for television viewers and sports fans across the Caribbean. The channel will showcase several upcoming series including the Celkon Cup Tri Nation One Day International Series, currently being played in the region.
Ten Cricket will be exclusively broadcast on Flow in Jamaica, Trinidad, Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua and St. Vincent. The partnership will enable cricket fans across the region to see the broadcast of all home and away matches, played by teams representing West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and South Africa on Flow's digital cable television network. Ten Cricket's 24-hour programming will include LIVE and repeat broadcasts of major tournaments matches such as Test, ODI and T20. This announcement coincides with the start of the Celkon Cup Tri-nation One Day International series featuring: The West Indies, Sri Lanka and ICC Champions Trophy winners, India.
"Cricket is a shared passion that unites Caribbean people and we have been searching for a long time for value added content like this. We are pleased to have the opportunity to leverage our technology to allow cricket fans to fully immerse themselves in the sport. This addition will enable the region to cheer on home teams, even when playing overseas, as well as being able to view matches played by teams from other cricketing nations," said Rhea Yaw Ching, corporate vice president, sales and marketing for Columbus. In order to enable Caribbean cricket fans to cheer on the West Indies as they play India and Pakistan in the current one-day international series, the Company will extend a special free view period of one month.
Sameer Targe, General Manager of Zee Americas said, "We are very excited with the launch of Ten Cricket in the Caribbean islands. Columbus has always been very forward looking in its approach, when it comes to its subscribers." Zee Americas' Director of Content Distribution, Akhilesh Gupta adds, "There is a definite need for a quality 24/7 cricket channel in the Caribbean. This launch fills that void and extends our long term association with Columbus."
Flow continues to be an innovator in delivery of cable TV services for customers in the Caribbean. The company offers the most diverse range of sports programming including multiple all-sports channels, such as those dedicated to motor racing, golf, soccer, basketball, NFL, tennis and fishing.
ABOUT COLUMBUS
Columbus International Inc. is a privately held diversified telecommunications company based in Barbados. The Company provides digital cable television, broadband Internet and digital landline telephony in Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada and Curacao under the brand name Flow and in St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Antigua under the brand name Karib Cable. Columbus also provides corporate data and cloud based services under the brand Columbus Business Solutions. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Columbus Networks, the Company provides capacity & IP services, corporate data solutions and data center hosting throughout 42 countries in the greater Caribbean, Central American and Andean region. Visit www.columbus.co
ABOUT ZEE AMERICAS
A pioneer in South Asian entertainment, ZEE has become synonymous with unparalleled quality in broadcasting for more than 20 years. As a global brand, ZEE is committed to delivering top notch international content. ZEE in the Americas has established itself as a mainstay in North American households, reaching more than 2 million viewers. As a market leader in the South Asian entertainment space since its entry into America in 1998, ZEE is continuously evolving its content to meet the changing needs of the market across genres and languages. As the exclusive distributor of the ZEE channels in the Americas, Asia TV USA Ltd. caters to a wide audience with a growing number of channels, including Ten Cricket, ZEE TV HD, Zee TV HD Canada, ZEE Premier HD, ZEE Cinema, ZEE KhanaKhazana, Zing, ZEE Business, ZEE Smile, ZEE Aflam, ZEE Alwan, ZEE Russia, ZEE Marathi, ZEE Kannada, ZEE Telugu, ZEE Tamizh, Alpha ETC Punjabi, ZEE Punjabi, ZEE Bangla, ZEE Salaam, ZEE 24 Taas, ZEE 24 Ghanta and ZEE 24 Ghantalu. In September 2012, ZEE TV became the first South Asian channel to launch in High Definition in the Americas!