Channel 4, BT Sport and Sky in talks to screen England tour in India
Channel 4, BT Sport and Sky in advanced talks with global rights holder Star Sports to screen England’s four-match Test series in India
- UK broadcasters had balked at the £20m price tag for the live TV rights
- Disney-owned Star Sports hold the global rights for the Test series in India
- The BCCI are insisting Star Sports make it available on a linear UK channel
England fans can look forward to watching Joe Root’s side take on India in the Test series that begins next Friday with global rights holder Star Sports in advanced negotiations with several broadcasters including Channel 4 for a UK deal.
With no broadcaster willing to meet Star’s £20million asking price it had been feared that the Disney-owned company would opt to show the four-match series on their Hotstar streaming platform.
But Sportsmail has learned that the BCCI, Indian cricket’s governing body, are insisting that the rights holder fulfil a contractual obligation to make it available on a linear UK channel.
TV rights for England’s four-match Test series in India, starting next week, are still up for grabs
Channel 4 are understood to be pushing hard for a deal for live coverage of at least part of the series. If successful, it would see Test cricket return to free-to-air television for the first time since their award-winning coverage of the iconic 2005 Ashes.
It would also be the first time an England overseas Test has been broadcast on terrestrial TV.
There was no live coverage until BSkyB’s broadcast of England’s tour to the West Indies in 1990 under Graham Gooch. Sky remain in the running but, given their £220m annual investment in the English game for domestic rights, they are reluctant to be held to ransom by Star.
BT Sport are also involved in the negotiations and could end up sharing coverage with Channel 4.
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