The England & Wales Cricket Board plans to spend about £6M ($7.8M) a year on entertainment for its hundred-ball tournament "to rival the razzmatazz of the Indian Premier League," according to Elizabeth Ammon of the LONDON TIMES. About £180,000 ($232,800) will be spent on "event production" for each match, "which will have fireworks, high-end pyrotechnics and in-game entertainment to help to create a glitzy atmosphere." The eight-team, city-based tournament that starts in '20 will feature 33 games in a five-week block at the eight largest grounds in the country. Each team will have a budget of about £1.1M ($1.4M) to spend on 16 players. The competition is "likely to cost" about £40M ($51.7M) a year, with a marketing budget "five times the amount that the ECB spends on England games." That budget is "likely to exceed what the governing body receives from ticket revenue." A number of counties "have already raised objections" to the amount the ECB is planning to spend on the tournament. However, the ECB thinks that "the substantial investment is needed to ensure the success of the competition and the longer-term health of the game" by gaining new followers, who will see the competition on Sky and the BBC (LONDON TIMES, 9/6).
