Cricket on UK Television (17 Aug 1998)

17 August 1998

Cricket on UK Television

By John Bromley

ON THE back of England's series-clinching victory over South Africa at Headingley, the England and Wales Cricket Board are currently engaged in contract discussions with nine UK broadcasters.

The ECB marketing men, Terry Blake and Brian Downing, are going about their business in jolly mood now that Alec Stewart's team have brought a smile back to the face of English cricket.

Taking into account the recent decision of Chris Smith, the Culture Secretary, to release Test matches from the 'protected' list, Blake and Downing consider they have much more to offer broadcasters than in previous years.

The current television contracts, which end this season, were signed in 1995 with the BBC paying £35 million and Sky £25 million.

Blake and Downing are making presentations to BBC, Sky, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, on digital and three cable channels. They are experienced negotiators and have produced a slick slide show that impresses their potential clients.

However, the bottom line is that only the BBC and Sky are serious players in the cricket market. The other companies either do not have the air time available or the audience potential to be sensible contenders.

So can the ECB expect a mouth-watering rights battle between the BBC and Sky for the coverage of domestic Test matches over the next four years?

I doubt it. Both companies are sensitive to the political issues surrounding television and Test matches and I expect to see the coverage split between them - probably three for the BBC and two for Sky.

The third Test always causes a problem for the BBC as it clashes with the last week of Wimbledon. Expect that to move to Sky. Outside Test match coverage, I forecast that the major spoils will be divided up as they are now - the NatWest Trophy on BBC with the one-day internationals on Sky.

There appears little enthusiasm for the new one-day competition - the National League - to replace the Benson and Hedges Cup, even though many of the games could be played on Tuesday evenings under floodlights.

Blake and Downing will start financial negotiations next month with deals, they hope, locked up by October. But no one in cricket should believe that there will be a huge increase on the present £60 million.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)