The T20 Blast could be broadcast free-to-air in the UK in 2020, according to a report in The Times.

The report states that a group of county chief executives are ramping up plans to get the county game played in some form this summer, even if that means extending the season into late October.

It remains extremely unlikely that games will be able to be played in front of full crowds, although some within the county game remain optimistic that small, socially distanced crowds may be able to enter grounds.

Under the new media rights deal that began in 2020, counties will be allowed to show games hosted at their ground and not broadcast on Sky Sports, live and for free on their own social media channels. The report also states that putting on games would likely be economically viable for counties even without ticket revenue due to the low costs associated with hosting games without crowds.

T20 Blast games have been broadcast live on social media before and there’s hope that they will prove to be popular with fans. Somerset’s live YouTube stream of their home fixture against Sussex in 2019 – featuring Babar Azam – has accumulated over a million views on the platform.