Exclusive: Discovery Channel to challenge BBC in bid to host free-to-air cricket
The Discovery Channel is to challenge the BBC in bidding to bring live cricket back to free-to-air television after the England and Wales Cricket Board launched its broadcast tender process.
Telegraph Sport can reveal that Discovery, which owns Eurosport, is examining the ECB’s tender document and has joined BT Sport, Sky Sports and the BBC as prospective bidders for a five-year rights deal for English cricket from 2020, which the board hopes will be worth more than £1 billion.
The ECB is offering five packages of rights, one of which is for exclusive digital content on social-media channels in an attempt to tempt Twitter or Facebook to bid.
The deal – which the ECB wants finalised by the end of next month – will include live content for the new Twenty20 event that launches in 2020, the England men’s team across all formats, county cricket and women’s cricket.
BT Sport and Sky Sports will fight for the bulk of live rights. BT has set aside a considerable war chest for the cricket rights and will press home to the ECB its access to more than 18 million homes that take its broadband services.
Sky has been the sole broadcast-rights holder for English cricket since the 2005 Ashes summer and will fight hard to keep hold of its prize summer content. It leaves the ECB in the fortunate position of having two major bidders as it looks to launch its new Twenty20 competition, which the board believes will reinvigorate the game in this country.
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It means that Sky and BT Sport will have to go into partnership with a terrestrial broadcaster for the live rights to Twenty20. Telegraph Sport revealed recently that the ECB also intends to produce its own television content from 2020.
The ECB wants to show at least eight matches live on free-to-air television and has met executives from all major terrestrial channels, including the BBC and Discovery.
Discovery will offer to show cricket on its free channel, Quest TV, and has considerable financial muscle, so it could easily rival the BBC in making a bid.
Discovery last year bought the European rights to the Olympic Games in a £920 million deal and recently launched a channel in India, DSport, that is looking to buy cricket content.
The decision the ECB will have to make is choosing between money and reach. The BBC offers the greatest audience across its many platforms and could potentially boost the profile of Twenty20 cricket.
The BBC is keen to return to cricket but sources have indicated that almost every major terrestrial broadcaster has expressed an interest in the new Twenty20 tournament. ITV will be in the market, as will Channel 5. ITV showed highlights of England’s Test series in Bangladesh last year and has previously held live rights to the Indian Premier League. Channel 5 shows the highlights to England’s international summer, although its deal runs out at the end of this season.
Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, is spearheading the ECB’s rights negotiations and has wide experience of the market after working for IMG handling global rights deals for Cricket Australia, Cricket South Africa and the IPL.
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“This is a very important process and the outcome will be hugely significant for cricket in England and Wales,” he said. “The game is in good shape, with inspiring international teams, strong county competitions, a recreational game that’s adapting to modern lifestyles and a new participation drive for a younger audience. Our partners for the next rights period will help us build on these very strong foundations and develop an even brighter future. They will understand our strategy, see the opportunities and share our ambitions for growth.
“Through this process, we are looking to secure the right balance of reach, revenue and exposure to drive the game for the next decade. To achieve that, we’re offering a wide range of opportunities.”
