Whisper wins BBC contract as cricket returns, and will also create online highlights for the ECB.
Whisper has won the contract to produce the BBC’s peak-time cricket highlights, as the broadcaster begins showing cricket again from Wednesday this week (8 July).
Whisper has won a multi-year contract with the BBC to produce TV highlights for domestic Test matches, One Day International matches and Twenty20 International matches.
The production company will also create online highlights and clips for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) throughout 2020, from all Tests, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals across both men and women’s international teams.
Whisper’s cricket production team is led by Rob Williams, who produced last year’s World Cup final at Lord’s, and will also include Mark Cole and Sunil Patel, who were involved in the BBC’s cricket coverage from 1999 to 2009.
The team also includes production executive Sarah Warnock, who previously worked on major International Cricket Council (ICC) events, and senior production executive Anne Somerset, while digital and multi-platform strategy will be managed by Chris Hurst, who has over 15 years of experience and previously worked for the ICC.
The BBC’s remit is to maximise the reach and impact of cricket, take the sport to new audiences and encourage more people to play the game.
Whisper CEO Sunil Patel said: “It’s such an incredible opportunity to work on cricket for the BBC and everyone at Whisper is really motivated to deliver in the ambitious way that we approach all our projects. The sport seems to be enjoying a resurgence after England’s dramatic victory in last year’s Cricket World Cup and it’s great seeing the positive influence that sport can generate. There are many cricket fans within Whisper and the team is full of ideas of how we can work on our new cricket projects to showcase the sport and attract new audiences.”