In a shake-up of UK cricket broadcasting, the BBC will no longer air live England men's and women's international matches under its newly extended four-year deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
The move brings an end to free-to-air live coverage of England internationals, which had returned to BBC screens in 2020 after more than two decades.
The renewed agreement, covering 2025 to 2028, will see the BBC continue to show highlights of all England home Tests, ODIs, and T20Is across BBC TV, iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website. The deal kicks off with England Women’s white-ball series against the West Indies on May 21, followed by England Men’s Test against Zimbabwe on May 22. However, none of these matches will be shown live on the BBC.
Instead, the broadcaster will focus its live TV coverage exclusively on The Hundred. Each summer, eight men’s and women’s double-headers, including opening games and both finals, will be shown across TV and iPlayer. The new agreement will also increase the number of women’s games broadcast live, as part of a wider push to grow visibility and interest in the women’s game.
Audio rights remain with the BBC’s long-running Test Match Special, which will continue live ball-by-ball commentary of all England home internationals, as well as men’s county and women’s domestic fixtures, through to at least 2028.
Since 2020, the BBC has shown broadcast highlights of every day's play in international cricket, eight live matches in the men's and women's Hundred, along with four T20Is (two each for the men and women). The ECB is yet to confirm who will instead show the live coverage of the T20Is each year.
The BBC will also have digital clips and audio rights for all major ICC events until 2027, including the Men’s and Women’s Cricket World Cups, T20 World Cups, Champions Trophies, and the Ashes for both genders.
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