Channel 4 wins the rights to broadcast the India vs England cricket series in the UK

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

 

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Channel 4 has approached several star names to be pundits for next month’s India v England Test and limited-overs series as the broadcaster closes in on the TV rights.

The approaches reinforce Channel 4’s position as frontrunners for the broadcast rights to the series, as reported by The Times.

Unless Sky returns to the table with an improved offer, Channel 4’s bid is expected to be confirmed over the weekend or on Monday, before the first Test next week. It would be the first time live Test cricket has been on terrestrial television since 2005.

It is understood Channel 4 has approached former England captains — possibly including Kevin Pietersen and Michael Vaughan — to be studio guests in London. They would provide the expert analysis, with the commentary coming from the world feed provided from India.

Star Sports in India own the rights to the series and had hoped to sell them to a UK broadcaster for £20 million-plus but, with time running out before the first Test, are believed to have had to settle for a lot less.

Although it is not unusual for TV deals for series played in India to be finalised at the last minute, there has been much uncertainty about how UK-based fans would be able to watch the games. Initially, Star Sports planned to only make the matches available to UK viewers via their own streaming service Hotstar, which would have involved fans taking out an additional monthly subscription. It then emerged they were also obliged to provide rights to a TV service.

Sky and BT Sport were also offered the rights but have been unable to clinch a deal. As previously reported, Channel 4 has started planning for the broadcast of the four-match series and have been in contact with freelance production and commentary personnel about their availability.

England’s two-month tour of India consists of four Test matches, five T20s and three one-day internationals running between February 5 and March 28.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India is only allowing the host broadcaster entry to the venues, meaning that as with the recent Tests between England and Sri Lanka, all other coverage will have to be from television pictures. talkSPORT beat the BBC to secure the radio rights for the tour but will also be broadcasting from the UK.

 

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

9 minutes ago, sarchasm said:

I did not get the part where it says Hotstar planned to stream it on their platform but ''it later emerged that they were obliged to provide rights to a television service''.

 

Obliged by law?

This is from another site:

 

Earlier, speculation was rife that Star Sports’ streaming platform, Hotstar could air the series. However, BCCI has insisted that Star TV fulfil a contractual obligation to make it available on a linear UK channel.

[sage]

India vs Australia series was widely covered on UK media for a foreign series. Hype is there. Perhaps this series can break records, at least for a nonashes 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

8 hours ago, sage said:

India vs Australia series was widely covered on UK media for a foreign series. Hype is there. Perhaps this series can break records, at least for a nonashes 

ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 final between England and New Zealand was broadcast free-to-air on Channel 4 and broke Ashes 2005 record viewership, so this series won't break that.

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

Channel 4 have won the rights to show England’s upcoming series in India in a groundbreaking deal that sees Test cricket return to terrestrial television in the UK for the first time since the 2005 Ashes.

The Guardian understands that global rights holders Star Sports and Channel 4 have now officially signed 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 either 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 – the third Test is a day-night match with a 9am start in the UK – the national lockdown could see big audience numbers generated by England and India supporters, as well as potential newcomers to the sport.

While they last showed Test cricket back in 2005, a one-off deal with Sky in 2019 saw the World Cup final shared and Channel 4 attract 15.4m 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.

[sage]

 

Wow.

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

Quote

Channel 4: More than one million people watch India v England on day one - four times more than time-slot average

Test cricket's return to free-to-air television led to a peak audience of 1.1m as Joe Root completed his century

MPs and former ministers have called for more England series to be shown free-to-air after more than a million people watched the first day of the first Test match on terrestrial television since the 2005 Ashes.

The England & Wales Cricket Board was under pressure to “put terrestrial TV front and centre” of its next broadcasting deal, while the Government was urged to add Test cricket to the list of sports events that must be shown free-to-air.

As revealed by Telegraph Sport, Channel 4’s coverage of India v England on Friday attracted a peak audience of 1.1 million, 18.4 per cent of all those watching television at that time.

The figure was more than double that for Sky Sports’ coverage of the opening day of last month’s Sri Lanka-England series, as was the average audience of 431,000, which was almost four times that Channel 4 usually attracts in the same time slot.

Almost half that audience was from non-Sky subscribing homes and Tracey Crouch MP, the former sports minister, told Telegraph Sport: “While it is wonderful that the BBC has the rights to international Twenty20 and The Hundred, the success of Channel 4 broadcasting the Test in India just shows that there is a real appetite for more long-form cricket on terrestrial TV.

“Given we know watching events like Test cricket inspire the next generation, I really hope that the ECB remember this broadcasting success in future rights discussion and put terrestrial TV front and centre of their decisions on deals.”

Jo Stevens, the shadow Culture Secretary, added: “A whole generation of kids with terrestrial TV have grown up without seeing Jimmy Anderson take his record-breaking wickets.

“With Channel 4 broadcasting the Test series in India, all kids have had the chance to watch superman Joe Root in the form of his life and that will only encourage them to play cricket themselves.

“The next Joe Root or Heather Knight will be watching this series. As the viewing figures show, we need more international cricket on terrestrial TV, not less. The decision makers should take a more strategic view so that televised international cricket reaches as many people as possible.”

Julian Knight, the chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport select committee, said: “It’s been great to see test cricket on Channel 4 again, particularly as terrestrial is crucial to reaching as wide an audience as possible. I applaud cricket authorities for committing to more free-to-air cricket and I hope we see more of it in a year when the England team are playing more international cricket than ever.”

Former Labour sports ministers Richard Caborn and Gerry Sutcliffe also called for the Government to add Test cricket to the so-called ‘Crown Jewels’ list of events that must be shown free-to-air.

Channel 4 secured the four-match India-England series at the 11th hour after Sky and BT Sport refused to meet the asking price from rights holders Star Sports.

It is the first full broadcast on terrestrial television of an England overseas Test series.

Friday’s figure was dwarfed by the 8.4 million who watched the 2005 Ashes and the 4.5 million who tuned into Channel 4’s coverage of England’s 2019 World Cup triumph.

However, Telegraph Sport has been told the broadcaster was thrilled with the ratings given the India-England match began at 4am on a weekday.

The audience was expected to be bigger for Saturday’s second day, with Sky’s weekend coverage of the Sri Lanka series having peaked at almost a million viewers.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2021/02/06/channel-4s-india-vs-england-first-day-coverage-watched-one-million/

[sage]

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

1 hour ago, sage said:

 

 

Sky Sports probably regrets not picking up the rights now.

[Lone Wolf]

4 minutes ago, TNAmarkFromIndia said:

 

Sky Sports probably regrets not picking up the rights now.

Nah they already got home series rights vs India & an additional NZ tour for their summer.  They are sitting pretty.  That's why they didn't push more for this series 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

2 minutes ago, Lone Wolf said:

Nah they already got home series rights vs India & an additional NZ tour for their summer.

Sure but beating India in India is a much bigger deal than beating them at home.

[Lone Wolf]

2 minutes ago, TNAmarkFromIndia said:

Sure but beating India in India is a much bigger deal than beating them at home.

They may not have expected that I guess..  Anyways good for sport that some young guys must have watched this free to air coz not sure Young people give a damn about Sky cricket over there.