Wisden
Encyclopedia
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden
& Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
. As well as John Wisden
& Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer
magazine, Cricinfo
– the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye
computerised ball-tracking system, which is used by the media in cricket
, tennis
and other sports. The group also owned The Oldie
, a general interest British magazine aimed at older readers.
The group was broken up in 2007 when The Wisden Cricketer
was sold to BSkyB, The Oldie
was sold to a group of investors led by the magazine's former business manager, James Pembroke, and Cricinfo
was sold to ESPN
. John Wisden
& Co. was sold to A&C Black in 2008. Hawk-Eye
remains controlled by Mark Getty
.
Sir Paul Getty
was chairman of John Wisden
& Co from 1993 until his death in 2003, and he was succeeded as majority shareholder by his son Mark
.
John Wisden
John Wisden was an English cricketer who played 190 first-class cricket matches for three English county cricket teams, Kent, Middlesex and Sussex...
& Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
. As well as John Wisden
John Wisden
John Wisden was an English cricketer who played 190 first-class cricket matches for three English county cricket teams, Kent, Middlesex and Sussex...
& Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer
The Wisden Cricketer
The Wisden Cricketer is the world's best-selling monthly cricket magazine.It was created in 2003 by a merger between The Cricketer magazine and Wisden Cricket Monthly....
magazine, Cricinfo
Cricinfo
ESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...
– the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye
Hawk-Eye
Hawk-Eye is a complex computer system used in cricket, tennis and other sports to visually track the trajectory of the ball and display a record of its most statistically likely path as a moving image. In cricket and tennis, it is now part of the adjudication process. It was developed by engineers...
computerised ball-tracking system, which is used by the media in cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and other sports. The group also owned The Oldie
The Oldie
The Oldie is a monthly magazine launched in 1992 by Richard Ingrams, who for 23 years was the editor of Private Eye. It carries general interest articles, humour and cartoons, and has an eclectic list of contributors, including James Le Fanu, John Sweeney, Thomas Stuttaford, Virginia Ironside,...
, a general interest British magazine aimed at older readers.
The group was broken up in 2007 when The Wisden Cricketer
The Wisden Cricketer
The Wisden Cricketer is the world's best-selling monthly cricket magazine.It was created in 2003 by a merger between The Cricketer magazine and Wisden Cricket Monthly....
was sold to BSkyB, The Oldie
The Oldie
The Oldie is a monthly magazine launched in 1992 by Richard Ingrams, who for 23 years was the editor of Private Eye. It carries general interest articles, humour and cartoons, and has an eclectic list of contributors, including James Le Fanu, John Sweeney, Thomas Stuttaford, Virginia Ironside,...
was sold to a group of investors led by the magazine's former business manager, James Pembroke, and Cricinfo
Cricinfo
ESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...
was sold to ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. John Wisden
John Wisden
John Wisden was an English cricketer who played 190 first-class cricket matches for three English county cricket teams, Kent, Middlesex and Sussex...
& Co. was sold to A&C Black in 2008. Hawk-Eye
Hawk-Eye
Hawk-Eye is a complex computer system used in cricket, tennis and other sports to visually track the trajectory of the ball and display a record of its most statistically likely path as a moving image. In cricket and tennis, it is now part of the adjudication process. It was developed by engineers...
remains controlled by Mark Getty
Mark Getty
Mark Getty , is a British businessman. A member of a family which originally made its money from oil, he is the son of American-British billionaire philanthropist Sir Paul Getty.-Career:...
.
Sir Paul Getty
Paul Getty
Sir John Paul Getty KBE , born Eugene Paul Getty, was a wealthy American-born British philanthropist and book collector. He was the elder son of Jean Paul Getty, Sr...
was chairman of John Wisden
John Wisden
John Wisden was an English cricketer who played 190 first-class cricket matches for three English county cricket teams, Kent, Middlesex and Sussex...
& Co from 1993 until his death in 2003, and he was succeeded as majority shareholder by his son Mark
Mark Getty
Mark Getty , is a British businessman. A member of a family which originally made its money from oil, he is the son of American-British billionaire philanthropist Sir Paul Getty.-Career:...
.