More than a billion people are expected to watch at least some World Cup cricket on television. More than 600-million are likely to watch the action for hours on end.
For many viewers the tournament, which gets underway in Cape Town this weekend, will be an introduction to cricket as well as South Africa, made possible by vast technical changes in TV coverage.
It is possible, although unlikely, that some fans will watch nearly 400 hours of World Cup action live between Sunday afternoon and March 23. When two or three matches are played simultaneously, one can watch them all on Channel 20 on DStv.
Some statistics, even before the first match, are staggering. A total of 54 matches have been scheduled, 35 international commentators appointed and five production teams of 24 members each deployed. During the preliminary round 21 cameras per match will be used; from the Super Six stage onward 26 per match.
From the opening at 20:30 Saturday night until the last ball of the final, viewers will be able to watch all the action live on SuperSport on DStv, as well as highlights, repeats and daily studio discussions by panels of experts.
The opening match between South Africa and the West Indies will be televised live from 14:00 on Sunday. The cricket, however, has stiff competition. Many viewers will not miss the soccer between Manchester United and Manchester City on Sunday (14:15 on M-Net and SuperSport 3) for anything and next weekend FA Cup soccer and Six Nations rugby will go head to head with the World Cup.
Meanwhile, the rugby between the Stormers and the Sharks, who meet in London, is live on CSN and SS 1 from 21:30 on Friday. Golf enthusiasts can watch every round of the National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach and the ANZ Championship
in Sydney live. – Sapa