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Live Test Cricket returns to C4

India v England series (January 2021)

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DV
DVB Cornwall
Channel 4 'Frontrunners for England Test Series in India' new report from .....



HC
Hatton Cross
'sounding out production staff'
Or pressing the preset call numbers for Sunset & Vine and Whisper on speedial.

Suspect if it is a joint bid with 4 and BT Sport. Channel 4 would use BT Sport/Timeline Studios at Stratford for the wraparound bits - and the sound booths for any commentary if they didn't want to take the host English world feed commentary.

I'd also expect to see the tests live on Channel 4, with the one dayer live on BT Sport and highlights on 4.
RR
RR
The Daily Mail's version of the cricket rights story this morning is slightly different, stating that it is the BCCI insisting on a contractual requirement that the games are shown on a linear channel, with up to now no one agreeing the £20m that Disney is asking.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-9199299/Channel-4-BT-Sport-Sky-advanced-talks-screen-Englands-four-match-Test-series-India.html
BR
Brekkie
It'll end up going to the wire IMO with the BCCI having to settle for significantly less than what they want.

£20m for about 130 hours of content isn't going to happen, especially with the risk some of that doesn't go ahead.
HC
Hatton Cross
Sadly though Brekkie its par of the course for the BCCI.
An over inflated opinion of how good cricket is in India, and an loathing of the ruling ICC, as they want to run the game for themselves, and turn the game into a odious money making exercise.

Bet the rights will be sold to in a FTA/Pay TV spilt rights deal, around a couple of days before the first over of the first test for around half of what the BCCI currently want for them.
RR
RR
Is it the BCCI? Haven't they sold the global rights to Disney owned Star, (per the story with a requirement that there is a linear channel showing them in the UK) and it is a question of what Disney / Star will get for them?
BR
Brekkie
Bet the rights will be sold to in a FTA/Pay TV spilt rights deal, around a couple of days before the first over of the first test for around half of what the BCCI currently want for them.

Other than the cost saving though I'm not sure of the value of an FTA/Pay TV split. C4 would be making a statement with the full package, but shared I'm not so sure - and it's been a long time since there has been highlights of a non-Australian tour on free to air. I can't see Sky wanting to share the rights and not sure it would benefit BT either.
BR
Brekkie
Still no confirmation on the cricket deal but the talk still seems to be favouring C4, with Sky focusing on acquiring the Ashes at the end of the year. Arguably too C4 having the rights may benefit Sky more than them having them themselves - would give the sport exposure it hasn't had for 15 years ahead of the summer season on Sky.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jan/30/england-test-team-may-return-to-terrestrial-tv-as-channel-4-closes-on-india-series
BR
Brekkie
Now TV have just sent an email out saying you can watch India v England live on Sky Sports.
KP
KelpieP0921
Another report on C4's bid. Presumably a full English language feed is provided with the rights so it's largely a case of retransmitting that and top and tailing it, plus filling the breaks. That in itself still quite a bit to arrange at short notice eve. .


All rightsholders have access to the host feed (in this case BCCI). Often in non-covid times the commentary is a hybrid (recent SA series had 3 Sky voices part of the Supersport commentary but those guys did their own Sky build up/pitchside stuff).

C4 I suspect will have a studio and yes take BCCI comms. If Sky were to get it, I suspect they'll do their own comms offtube rather than take BCCI at the short notice with perhaps a home/Indian contributor remotely. BCCI commentary does ironically have two sky voices hired by BCCI in Nick Knight & Mark Butcher. Problem is the Indian comms often is "censored"/or overly positive to Indian cricket team, board etc.


Do Indian based tests suffer the same problem as the IPL - and indeed Indian television in general - with sponsor logos on screen which presumably the UK broadcast would need to obscure?


It's not as logo heavy, standard series sponsor but Sky/BT don't cover up the IPL logos on-screen (in truth it's incidental inclusion as they are not responsible for the feed, so get away with it) ITV4 did back in the day, probably more nervous about it back then compliance wise. But no issues have come with Sky/BT having the logos on screen.

In the Australian cricket on BT you literally have commentators with KFC buckets or sitting somewhere eating while talking or have lots of promos/shots of sponsors (again nothing BT can do, as not their feed).
Last edited by KelpieP0921 on 30 January 2021 5:26pm
BR
Brekkie
NOW TV have now sent out an apology saying they don't have the rights to the cricket, saying they'll be showing Pakistan v South Africa instead.
MA
madmusician
NOW TV have now sent out an apology saying they don't have the rights to the cricket, saying they'll be showing Pakistan v South Africa instead.

And this is the biggest sign yet that Sky do not expect to be agreeing a last-minute deal for this series, as it would be highly embarrassing (not to mention disadvantageous for the business) to be sending out another advert later in the week saying that they do now have the series on the platform!!!

If they were expecting a deal to be signed tomorrow or Tuesday, the best thing would have been for Now TV to sit on the apology/clarification until an announcement either way. In effect, the Now TV email is an announcement from Sky that they definitely won't be showing the series.

Based on the above, I'm now expecting a Channel 4 announcement over the next couple of days.

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