ESPN STAR Sports' record deal for the Champions League means big money for the cricketing boards concerned.

Asia's No. 1 broadcaster inked a USD 900 million dollar television rights deal for the Champions Twenty20 League, the inaugural edition for which will be played in India from December 3 to 10, and newspapers across the world have been raving about it.

According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, the BCCI will take home 50 per cent of the 10-year deal amount.

"Cricket Australia will earn about 25 per cent of the figure, as will Cricket South Africa, while the game's major power-broker -- the Board of Control for Cricket in India -- takes the remaining half," the paper said on Friday.

Even though the Champions Twenty20 League deal is the second biggest rights agreement this year after the USD one billion deal for 10 years for the Indian Premier League, the eight-day global Twenty20 league will become the highest value cricket tournament on a per game basis ever scheduled.

Eight teams, winners and runners-up of domestic Twenty20 competitions in India, Australia and South Africa, plus winners of 2008 Twenty20 championships from Pakistan and England have been invited to compete in the inaugural edition.

Next year, 12 teams will compete and the tournament will extend to 16 days. Teams will vie for USD six million in prize money, with half awarded to the winner and a minimum USD 250,000 to each participant.