C4, Sky, BT eye England vs India Test rights
January 29, 2021
Global rights holder Star Sports, owned by Disney, is in advanced talks with several UK broadcasters for the rights to England’s four-match Test series in India which begins on February 5th.
Channel 4 are among the front-runners to acquire the rights, which would see Test cricket return to free-to-air television for the first time in some 16 years, but Sky and BT Sport are also in the running. The sharing of rights between multiple broadcasters is also a possibility.
It had previously been rumoured that Star would opt to show the four-match series on their Hotstar streaming platform. But the BCCI, Indian cricket’s governing body, are reportedly insisting that the rights holder fulfil a contractual obligation to make it available on a linear UK channel.
With a potential large TV audience for the Test as a result of the UK being back in lockdown, Star are confident their £20 million asking price will be met.