Cricket returns to free-to-air TV in England

Cricket in England will return to terrestrial television in 2020 after the England and Wales Cricket Board announced Friday the BBC will air selected matches in the new broadcast deal.

The new deal, worth £1.1 billion between 2020-24, is shared between the BBC and Sky Sports, the pay television giant who will broadcast a majority of both domestic and international cricket on British soil, including the new Twenty20 competition.

Sky Sports – who fought off strong competition from BT Sports – bought the live rights of all Test matches, men’s one-day and T20 internationals, England women’s internationals, along with all domestic cricket.

The BBC will televise highlights of Tests and ODIs, live broadcast two men’s T20 internationals and one women’s T20 international per season, 10 live matches of the new T20 competition and eight women’s T20 matches.

In addition, the BBC Sport website and app will house digital clips for all England international and domestic games, while BBC Test Match Special – which is celebrating 60 years on air in 2017 – retained the radio rights.

Not since 1999 has the BBC broadcast live cricket and it’s been 12 years since cricket was shown live on terrestrial television – the epic 2005 Ashes series on Channel 4.

The new city-based T20 competition was announced in April, a 36-match tournament spread across 38 days during the English summer.

Each squad will consist of 15 players with three spots assigned to overseas players. The finals will mirror the Indian Premier League play-offs, so it’s essentially a blend of the IPL and the KFC Big Bash League in Australia.

"This is a great result for cricket," said ECB chief executive Tom Harrison. "ECB has secured the reach, revenue and relevance the game deserves, to help it to grow.

"Together, these new deals will deliver the partnership, distribution and investment that will fuel the future of our game, driving recreational, professional and international cricket for years to come.

"Sky Sports have offered a true partnership – more than a broadcast deal – with their shared vision for cricket. Their innovation and production standards are widely acclaimed. Here, they further increase their live commitment and have added bold ideas to drive engagement and to help to get a bat and ball in more hands.

"BBC are valuable long-term partners, bringing cricket to listeners, viewers and a new digital audience. We are delighted they will go to another level with live coverage of international and domestic T20 – men’s and women’s – alongside prime-time highlights shows and a commitment to taking the game to even wider audiences."