Channel 4 have won the rights to show England’s series in India in a groundbreaking deal that means Test cricket will return to terrestrial television in the UK for the first time since the 2005 Ashes.
The Guardian reports that global rights holders Star Sports and Channel 4 have agreed a contract for the live broadcast of the entire tour – four Tests, five Twenty20s and three one-day internationals – with an announcement due soon before the first Test in Chennai on Friday.
The deal represents a huge coup for Channel 4, who submitted their bid to Star Sports last week – one described as “compelling” by insiders – but still feared being gazumped by a late move from Sky or BT Sport.
This did not materialise, however, although one of the two subscription broadcasters could still come on board in some capacity, with the Star-Channel 4 deal said to be agreed on a non-exclusive basis that allows additional satellite and digital partners.
Channel 4 are confident that while three of the four Test matches start at 4am in the UK – the third Test is a day-night match with a 9am start – the national lockdown could mean big audience numbers generated by England and India supporters, as well as potential newcomers to the sport.While they last showed Test cricket in 2005, a one-off deal with Sky in 2019 led to the World Cup final being shared with Channel 4 attracting 15.4 million viewers over the course of the day. Subsequent research by the England and Wales Cricket Board suggested a third of this audience was watching cricket for the first time. – Guardian
