As England IHe is ready to visit us Pakistan For a three-match Test series in October, there are growing concerns about the possibility of a television blackout as no UK broadcaster is currently bidding for the rights to the highly-anticipated World Test Championship (WCT) series.
Pakistan Cricket Board (printed circuit board) issued a tender document last month in the hope of securing a transmitter for the upcoming Test series against England, but the response from the UK market has been disappointing, according to The Guardian.
England’s Test tour of Pakistan sparks TV coverage crisis as British broadcasters show no interest
No television channel has expressed interest or entered into negotiations, putting coverage of the Pakistan-England Test series in jeopardy. This situation is particularly surprising given the success and historic significance of England’s last Test tour of Pakistan in December 2022.
England cricket team led by Ben Stokes secured a 3-0 Test series victory on their last tour, the first time an English team has achieved this feat in Pakistan.
Sky Sports, which traditionally has the exclusive rights to broadcast England’s Test matches at home, was the broadcaster for the last Test series in Pakistan.
However, The Guardian report claimed that even Sky Sports has hinted that it will not bid for the upcoming three-match Test series between Pakistan and England.
Similarly, TNT Sport, which recently acquired the rights for England’s Test series in Australia, India, New Zealand and West Indies, has also decided not to compete for the rights for the upcoming tour of Pakistan.
On the other hand, the PCB’s decision to hire a local marketing agency instead of a global company such as IMG or Pitch International had complicated matters.
This approach contrasts with the strategy used to secure the broadcast deal for England’s recent Test tour of India, which was handled by Channel 4 during the third Covid lockdown and garnered a significant audience.
Sky Cricket is not willing to reach an agreement with the PCB
However, Channel 4 has not shown interest in bidding for Test cricket since then. Meanwhile, Sky Sports has shifted its focus to retaining exclusive rights for England home series and major global events such as the World Cup and T20 World Cup.
This strategic shift is part of a wider decision by Sky to focus its resources on high-profile cricket and football events, particularly during the busy winter months when it broadcasts numerous live football matches.
Additionally, Sky Cricket’s winter schedule focuses heavily on overseas T20 leagues such as the IPL, SA20 and ILT20. Commentary and production for these leagues are handled by local teams.
Warner Bros.-owned TNT Sport has decided to walk away from negotiations for the Pakistan tour in a bid to cut costs and strategically withdraw from certain sporting rights.
The call was made after TNT Sport withdrew from negotiations for the European Champions Cup and the Rugby Challenge Cup, which were recently resumed by Premier Sports for next season.
It will now be interesting to see whether a last-minute deal can be reached or whether alternative arrangements will be made to ensure the Test series is available to fans in the UK.
