A new Championship League Snooker league has been launched that will be totally internet funded and broadcast. Premium TV/Inform Group which companies have recently merged together in cooperation with Matchroom Sport is behind the league.

Distribution discussions are underway with companies, which will include betting websites, for the specialized league which starts in February a spokesperson said. Organizers also claim that the Championship League Snooker league will be optimized for the online audience as well as broadcast at times that would increase the likelihood of viewing from the workplace and home.

"This will be a very exciting Championship. The players, venue, staging, cameras and production will all be of the usual highest quality but the distribution will be a completely new phenomenon for sport. We are delighted to be partners in such a forward thinking initiative that could help fund all sorts of new sports leagues around the world,” said Matchroom chairman Barry Hearn.

According to Simon Denyer who is the Joint CEO of Premium TV/Inform Group, “The launch of Championship League Snooker illustrates how far the internet and our company have come. We have spent recent years helping major rights holder’s monetise digital rights that have been seen as marginal. This shows that the internet can now be the lead medium for some sports and we look forward to a great working relationship with Matchroom and the players”.



- 2008-01-02