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Channel 4 in talks with Sky over screening Cricket World Cup final – if England qualify | Sport


The Cricket World Cup final will be shown on a free-to-air platform if England qualify, with Channel 4 understood to have opened talks with rights-holders Sky over sharing coverage from Lord’s.

Sky announced on Friday that if England come through their semi-final against either India or Australia then it would “ensure as wide an audience as possible is able to watch the game”, which takes place on Sunday, 14 July.

International cricket has been behind Sky’s subscription paywall since 2005 when the England and Wales Cricket Board sold Sky the exclusive rights. The ECB has continually argued that the money raised has helped to grow the game, but it has faced increasing pressure for at least some matches to return to free-to-air television.

It is understood that Channel 4– who are already screening highlights of the tournament – are the likeliest terrestrial TV partner at this stage, with a proposal that could see it broadcast the final live along with Sky’s Main Event and Cricket channels and Sky’s Youtube channel.

The only issue could be that the match clashes with the British Grand Prix from Silverstone, which Channel 4 also holds the rights for. It is believed that More4 could be used as a second channel during the race, although it is unclear which sport would be screened on the alternative channel.

The debate on the tournament’s visibility intensified after England’s defeat to the USA in the football Women’s World Cup became the most-watched British television broadcast of the year, drawing a peak audience of 11.7 million.

The Guardian revealed last month that Sky was considering showing the final on a free-to-air platform, but Sky declined to comment publicly on it.

On Friday Sky’s UK and Ireland chief executive, Stephen van Rooyen, said: “We are proud to be the broadcaster for a home Cricket World Cup, one of the world’s biggest and most exciting sporting events. Our aim has always been to celebrate what could be a once-in-a-generation moment of a home team in a big final on home soil.

“So if England reach the final we will make the match available to everyone so the whole country can be part of a rare and special big sporting moment.”

The former England captain David Gower said it was “a very noble gesture”. He said: “There’s been a lot of pressure to do something like this and they weren’t necessarily obliged to do this by the terms of the deal they struck. But having worked with them for 20 years, I’m fully aware of how good the coverage is and everything Sky has done for cricket in that time.

“It will be fantastic all round, first of all having them in the final and having that match watched by the largest audience possible.”

The England bowler Liam Plunkett threw his support behind the final being screened on a free-to-air platform. When the viewing figures to date were put to Plunkett on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “We feel like we’ve built something special here as a team. It would be nice to go all the way and to have big numbers watching that final if we get through and win. That would be huge.”

Liam plunkett
(@Liam628)

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July 5, 2019

Plunkett later praised Sky in a tweet that claimed he had been misquoted, highlighting just how sensitive the topic is at Sky and the ECB.

England qualified for their first World Cup semi-final since 1992 when they beat New Zealand in Durham on Wednesday.





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