Mihir Bose: Protection plan for the Lord`s showpieces (23 August 1997)

Saturday 23 August 1997

Protection plan for the Lord`s showpieces

Mihir Bose.

THE England and Wales Cricket Board are preparing to have the Lord`s Test and the NatWest Trophy final listed as events that will not be sold to satellite TV provided the Government allow them to sell the other Test matches and all other oneday matches to the highest bidder, terrestrial or satellite.

If accepted, it could mean that from the 1999 season only the Lord`s Test will be on BBC and that the other Test matches and all the rounds of the NatWest Trophy, apart from the final, will be on Sky.

Cricket`s compromise proposal is in response to the consultative document on listed events issued by Chris Smith, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The Government are reviewing the 1996 Broadcasting Act which lists all home Test matches and prevents them from being sold to satellite TV.

The ECB are desperately keen to have the 1996 Act amended and have mounted a fierce campaign which includes hiring PR company Westminster Strategy on a short-term contract just for this purpose. Cricket knows time is running out. The present TV contract ends in 1998 and talks on a new contract will have to start soon.

Ideally, cricket would like to see the situation that prevailed in 1994, when the present contract was negotiated. Then, sport on television was regulated by the 1990 Broadcasting Act which allowed listed events like Test matches, the FA Cup final, the Derby and the Grand National, to be sold to satellite television, provided it was not shown on `pay-perview`.

Sky could bid for the Tests, and Brian Downing, chair- man of the Test and County Cricket Board`s marketing committee, and Terry Blake, marketing director, skilfully baited the BBC with the prospect of Sky getting them.

In the event Sky did not bid for the Tests. They went for live coverage of one-day internationals and the Benson and Hedges Cup, while the BBC retained the Tests and the NatWest Trophy.

Cricket got its best TV deal of -L58 million for four years. The BBC paid -L33 million of that, an increase of 645 per cent in eight years. The TCCB were convinced that they secured such a spectacular increase only because they could frighten BBC with the spectre of Sky.

Since that deal was negotiated, however, that cricket window has closed. There were parliamentary murmurings against the 1990 Act which came to a head in September 1995, when Sky scored an own goal over the Ryder Cup coverage from Rochester. No highlights were available on BBC, and this sparked a revolt in the House of Lords which led to the 1996 Broadcast- ing Act being amended so that now no listed sporting event can be sold to satellite TV, even if it is not shown on `pay-perview`.

Cricket argues that this is unfair. The FA Cup final takes 90 minutes, the Derby three minutes, the Grand National 12 minutes and Wimbledon only has the weekend of the finals list- ed. Cricket, however, has 180 hours of Test cricket on 30 days spread over the three months listed.

One view in the ECB is that on that basis the only Test cricket that should be listed is the weekend of the Lord`s Test.

There are some hawks at the ECB who argue that if the Government does not accept cricket`s compromise, it should challenge the whole concept of listed events in the European Court. I understand steps have been taken to consult a QC on mounting such a legal challenge.

Yet even if cricket can convince the Secretary of State, it remains to be seen if it can win over Parliament.

The listed sports event amendment in the 1996 Act was the result of the House of Lords inflicting the biggest-ever defeat on a government. Last Friday Lord Howell, the former sports minister who orchestrated that Lords battle, wrote to Smith.

Lord Howell said: "I have told Chris Smith that if I have to go to battle again on listed events such as Test cricket I shall do so. What is more, since that victory John Major, whose government opposed us, has now joined our ranks and says Test cricket should be on terrestrial television. If the Government want to amend the act we will have an even bigger majority."

If Tests and much of the NatWest Trophy are not shown on BBC, it will not please Cornhill or NatWest. Cornhill have signed a new three-year deal worth -L9 million, starting next season, and Geoff Mayhew, sponsorship manager, said: "If Tests are shown on Sky we will have to talk to the Board."

Barbara Quinn, NatWest sponsorship manager, said: "NatWest sponsorship is decided on the coverage provided by the BBC. Sky does not have that reach."

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