Discovery eyes Ashes rights
March 31, 2021
Discovery, the multichannel broadcaster, has emerged as a surprise contender to acquire the rights to this winter’s Ashes cricket series as part of attempt to boost significantly sporting content across its platforms.
According to reports, Discovery is preparing to take on BT Sport and Sky Sports for a four-year package worth in over £50 million for the UK rights to the popular cricket tour that pits England against Australia. Amazon is said to have ruled itself out of bidding.
The rights package comprises of both the men’s and women’s Ashes, the men’s One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 series in 2022, Australia’s other home internationals as well as the domestic Big Bash League.
Discovery will air the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games this summer, and in recent times has been bolstering sports content across its platforms – including Eurosport – with cycling, tennis and snooker acquisitions.