International Cricket Back on the Beeb

Late night highlights.

Thin end of the wedge, fingers crossed

BBC to show CT highlights in late night time slot.

Elizabeth Ammon.

The Times.

Friday, 26 May 2017.

PTG 2147-10899.

Highlights of Champions Trophy (CT) matches will be shown on BBC Two on each night that there is a game over the next month, including the final, the first time any cricket has been shown on the BBC since 1999.

Viewers will need to stay up late to catch the programs however. The package for the first game between England and Bangladesh will go to air at 11.20 p.m. UK time, and the second day’s highlights will be shown in a 50-minute program that starts at 12.20 a.m.. None of the programs will start before 11.30 p.m. on the 15 competition days. The BBC says it is “finalising plans” but the late scheduling is due to contractual obligations allowing pay TV operator ‘Sky Sports' footage to finish.

The BBC will take footage from the International Cricket Council's (ICC) own television feed, which is what will be shown live on 'Sky Sports', and will have commentary from the ICC’s appointed commentary team of former international players.

'Sky Sports' will televise all 15 games live and a highlights program before the BBC’s offering appears later in the evening. It is unlikely that the BBC will have separate presenters for their program although it will have a presence at the ground as it has radio broadcasting rights for the whole tournament. They will use the highlights package prepared by the ICC’s broadcast partner, Sunset and Vine, rather than producing their own.

The deal is a chance for the BBC to reiterate its commitment to returning cricket to mainstream channels. BBC senior officials including the director general have been in advanced talks with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) officials and the corporation is favourite to secure rights to the free-to-air elements of a new broadcasting deal from 2020-24, although it will reportedly have competition from several sources (PTG 2145-10885, 25 May 2017).

The ECB’s confidential broadcast tender document shows that from 2020 at least two England Twenty20 Internationals and ten matches in the new eight-team T20 tournament will be shown on a free-to-air television channel (PTG 2137-10831, 17 May 2017).