ENG_TV_RIGHTS_06JUL94

Four chase TCCB television rights

Television rights to cover cricket in England over the next three years are being negotiated, with four communications companies entering the bidding. The Test and County Cricket Board's contract with the BBC runs out at the end of this season. Terry Blake, the board's marketing manager, said the game would be looking for "more exposure and improved highlights scheduling". He added: "We feel cricket has a lot to offer in terms of sheer volume of coverage and its different forms." The board named the four interested parties as the BBC, BSkyB (who show some Sunday League matches), ITV and Wire TV, who have the contract to show the next World Cup in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 1996. Blake said the board's job was to get the "best deal we can for the game. We have presented our ideas this week, explaining to the television companies why cricket is so valuable and how we would like them to deal with it." Although the size of the contract is a commercial secret, there is speculation that the present BBC deal is worth in the region of @15 million. The TCCB want a substantial increase next time round.

(Extracted from a Peter Deeley article in the Daily Telegraph)