ECB Plans Wider Free-to-Air Cricket Offering From 2029

The England and Wales Cricket Board is planning a broader free-to-air television offering when its next domestic broadcast contracts begin in 2029. The Guardian reported that the governing body intends to make more rights packages available as it seeks to expand cricket’s audience, though the shape of the final agreements has not been settled.

Under the plan described by the newspaper, the ECB would offer free-to-air packages covering some England men’s and women’s white-ball matches. It would also make more packages for the Hundred available on a non-exclusive basis. ITV is understood to be interested in bidding for Hundred rights, while Channel 5 and YouTube have expressed interest in live coverage or clips rights.

The report said the ECB is not planning to copy Cricket Australia by creating a dedicated free-to-air package for home Test matches. However, Sky Sports could potentially share part of its cricket portfolio with ITV during the 2029-33 rights cycle. Any such arrangement remains uncertain: formal discussions with ITV have not taken place, and Sky declined to comment on future content-sharing plans.

The possibility is linked to Comcast’s proposed takeover of ITV. Comcast is Sky’s US parent company, but the transaction still requires regulatory approval. According to The Guardian, that process is expected to take 12 to 18 months. ITV was contacted for comment, while a Sky source said it was too early to discuss sharing content during the ongoing approval process.

Sky is midway through a four-year agreement reportedly worth £220 million per year. The deal includes live rights to England men’s and women’s home internationals, the Hundred, the T20 Blast and some county cricket. Sky is expected to retain the principal rights in the next cycle, and any cricket placed on ITV would also be carried live by Sky.

England’s home Tests have not been shown live on free-to-air television since Channel 4 covered the 2005 Ashes. Channel 4 later aired England’s 2021 Test tour of India, but those matches were played overseas. The next contract cycle will also be the last in which England rights are sold with the Hundred, before the competition’s franchise owners take responsibility for selling its rights separately from 2033.