TNT Sports is close to securing live UK rights for England’s white-ball tour of Australia next month in a deal that could see one of the matches broadcast free-to-air on Channel 5.
The Guardian has learned that Channel 5 is also in advanced talks with Cricket Australia over a highlights package for the eight-match tour, with the terrestrial broadcaster also in discussions over securing live rights for one of the five T20 internationals.
Channel 5 has live rights for two home men’s and two women’s T20s each summer in a four-year deal that began this year, but has never broadcast an England match from overseas.
While the finer details are still being discussed, the opening T20 of the five-match series in Melbourne on 21 November is the game of greatest interest to Channel 5, as the start time of 8.15am on a Saturday is likely to attract the biggest UK audience.
If the deal is completed it would be the first time an England overseas game has been broadcast FTA since Channel 4 picked up the rights for a Test series in India in 2021 during the final Covid-19 lockdown.
TNT Sports has broadcast England’s past three Ashes series in Australia so its decision to bid for a white-ball tour, that also attracted interest from Sky Sports and Dazn, comes as little surprise.
Channel 5’s involvement is an intriguing development, however, which raises the prospect of more cooperation between the two over sports rights given that they are both owned by the US media giant Paramount Skydance.
Channel 5 also picked up a highlights deal for the Commonwealth Games in the UK last summer with the event broadcast exclusively live on TNT Sports.
Brendon McCullum’s white-ball squad fly to Australia at the start of next month following a brief return home after the conclusion of the one‑day international tri-series that is taking place in Pakistan, where England are struggling to reach the final after due to successive defeats to the hosts and Sri Lanka over the past seven days.
After criticism of their preparation for last winter’s Ashes series the England and Wales Cricket Board has scheduled a 50-over warm-up game at the WACA on 7 November ahead of a three-match series that begins at the Perth Stadium on 13 November, with five T20s beginning the week later.
The value of overseas cricket rights has fallen in recent years with the result that most of England’s winter tours have only been sold at the last minute.
Sky Sports have bought the rights for England’s Test series in South Africa over Christmas, and are broadcasting the tri-series in Pakistan, but have moved away from signing long-term deals with overseas boards.
TNT Sports declined to comment, but Cricket Australia is understood to be confident that the deal will be completed.
