ECB Strikes Major Sky Sports Extension
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has extended its partnership with Sky Sports through to the end of 2028, with a significant increase in the amount of the live cricket the British subscription sports channel will broadcast.
The extension of the strategic partnership sees the relationship between the pair surpass 30 years. The new agreement will see more live cricket on Sky Sports, more on free-to-air TV and further increased investment to help grow the game.
With the current deal expiring in 2024, the four-year extension runs from the start of 2025 until the end of 2028 and will include 90 extra hours of live cricket guaranteed on TV each year and increased coverage of women’s cricket.
The deal also includes coverage of cricket’s newest competition The Hundred, which has been extended to 2028. There will also be expanded coverage of cricket’s professional Twenty20 cricket competition, the Vitality Blast, including more live games.
In addition to this, Sky Sports has committed to further investment in grassroots cricket including through the ECB’s Dynamos Cricket programme. The investment also funds initiatives for children of all backgrounds to pick up a bat and ball, growing women and girls’ cricket and reducing barriers to participation.
The current five-year deal, which started in 2020, has seen huge growth in cricket viewing on Sky Sports, with the recent men’s Test series against New Zealand and the 2020 series against the West Indies being the two most watched series on record – outside of the 2019 Ashes.
Stephen van Rooyen, Sky’s EVP and CEO UK and Europe commented, “This is an exciting time for English cricket and we’re thrilled to be furthering our long and successful partnership with the ECB. Together we will continue to help grow the game while boosting participation in the sport by children from all backgrounds through initiatives like our Dynamos Cricket Intros.
“On screen, we will continue to push boundaries in our BAFTA-winning coverage, bringing Sky Sports viewers even more live action from 2025 – including more women’s cricket than ever before – with men’s and women’s England internationals and domestic cricket. Sky’s investment over the last 30 years has contributed to a great deal of success on the pitch, and we hope to be at the forefront of much more to come.”
Clare Connor, ECB Interim Chief Executive Officer, added, “Sky have been fantastic partners for cricket for over 30 years. Their broadcast coverage is rightly lauded as the best in the world, but more significantly than that we have a shared commitment to growing the sport and investing in more opportunities not only for people to watch and follow cricket in all its forms, but also to pick up a bat and ball.
“Thanks to Sky and the support of other partners, we saw a record 14 million people playing, attending or following cricket in 2021. This year alone, 10,000 children will get the chance to have a free taste of cricket through Sky Dynamos Intros, while many, many more will benefit from facilities and opportunities to play which are only possible because of Sky’s investment. It shows this media rights model is working, and we are very grateful for Sky’s ongoing support.”
