Ashes in sights for BT Sport

BT Sport is reportedly on course to win the live broadcast rights for the upcoming Ashes Test cricket series.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, the broadcaster will overcome a challenge to the rights from Sky Sports to pick up the rights to the competition – on the condition that it actually goes ahead with the cricket world currently holding its breath over the upcoming World Cup. 

The ECB expects the competition to go ahead, but tight border controls in Australia and the necessity for bubble environments across the five match series has raised concerns for the players. 

Should BT be successful in its play to retain the rights to the competition, it will see off competition from Discovery which was reportedly eyeing a £50 million deal with Cricket Australia earlier this year.

The Mail notes that while terms for this latest deal with BT have not been reported, BT paid £80 million for the previous five-year rights cycle with Cricket Australia that ran from 2016-2021.