England & Wales Cricket Board Set For Windfall As Sky, BT Battle For TV Rights

The England & Wales Cricket Board can "look forward to a return near" the £1B ($1.3B) mark for five years' worth of TV rights from '20, according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. There will be a "straight cash battle" between BT Sport and Sky after BT's main board gave its consumer division the "go-head to bid lavishly for the cricket properties ahead of the June 28 deadline." That gives the ECB the "perfect competitive scenario." Sky will not want to lose its "current prestige cricket rights, which have more than two years to run, especially after BT retained the Champions League earlier this year." It is understood Sky and BT accept that cricket "needs terrestrial coverage if it is to increase participation." So while "more money will come in from a dedicated free-to-air package, that will not greatly affect the big money offers for the rest" (DAILY MAIL, 6/21).