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Live cricket will return to the BBC from 2020 onwards as part of a new five-year broadcast deal for the England and Wales Cricket Board worth a combined £1.1bn in which Sky retains the bulk of the rights after beating off its subscription rivals BT Sport.

The new deal, which dwarfs the sport’s existing £75m per year from Sky, runs from 2020 to 2024 and was announced in full on Friday, with the BBC down to show 10 live matches from the ECB’s new Twenty20 competition – including the final – as well as two England men’s T20 internationals.


Sky, which has held exclusive live rights to all home international and domestic cricket since 2006, have kept the bulk of English cricket’s output, both domestic and international, having outbid BT Sport for the subscription packages in the tender process that took place this week.

The satellite broadcaster, which will have full rights to the new Twenty20 tournament and share the broadcast of the final with BBC, is now expected to create a cricket-only channel and has said it will increase its work with the governing body in terms of increasing participation.

The BBC’s deal, which also sees Test Match Special retain radio rights and secures exclusive digital clips for its online platforms, will mean live cricket returns to a terrestrial broadcaster for the first time since it moved from Channel 4 after 2005. It was last shown on the BBC in 1999.

In addition to this, the BBC will take over highlights of men’s international cricket, which are currently on Channel 5. There also will be live televised coverage of one England women’s Twenty20 international on BBC, as well as up to eight games from the women’s Kia Super League. In total they will show more than 100 hours of cricket per year.


Tony Hall, the BBC director general, said: “The BBC is delighted. And the public will be too. It’s long been our ambition to bring live cricket back to BBC television. I’m thrilled to see that ambition realised. Cricket is an integral part of the British summer and the BBC will be putting its full weight behind the nation’s favourite summer sport.

“Our aim will be to make the new T20 competition a huge success. Existing cricket fans – and the millions more who will discover a new love of cricket – have a huge amount to look forward to.”

Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, had previously discussed the need for cricket to increase its audience and participation levels through a terrestrial rights package and now believes the right combination of reach and revenue has been obtained the split deal with main partners Sky.

Harrison said: “Together, these new deals will deliver the partnership, distribution and investment that will fuel the future of our game, driving recreational, professional and international cricket for years to come.

“Sky Sports have offered a true partnership – more than a broadcast deal – with their shared vision for cricket. Their innovation and production standards are widely acclaimed. Here, they further increase their live commitment and have added bold ideas to drive engagement and to help to get a bat and ball in more hands.

“BBC are valuable long-term partners, bringing cricket to listeners, viewers and a new digital audience. We are delighted they will go to another level with live coverage of international and domestic T20 – men’s and women’s – alongside prime-time highlights shows and a commitment to taking the game to even wider audience

Right through this process we’ve been excited to witness a fresh approach to the game and what it offers. This has transformed our relationships and our media deals. I want to thank everyone who has talked with us, shown their enthusiasm and added to our vision for the future.”

Harrison and Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, have been the main drivers for the ECB’s new domestic Twenty20 competition which will begin in 2020 and feature eight newly-created regional teams based at the biggest international grounds.

The tournament, which will run at the height of summer and see the existing 18-team county T20 Blast competition retained, is being designed to attract a new audience and the hope at the ECB is by showing part of it on BBC it will help deliver this in conjunction with its grassroots programme, All Stars Cricket, that is looking to swell participation numbers.