Jowell hints at cricket’s return to free TV
The “crown jewels” list of sports that must be broadcast on terrestrial television will be reviewed in 2008 or 2009, culture secretary Tessa Jowell has said.
Her comments come after the final day of the last Ashes Test, in which England regained the historic little urn, attracted 7.4 million viewers for Channel 4’s programme.
Next year Tests in England will only be shown by Sky Sports, after it bought the rights when cricket was moved from the protected “crown jewels” list in 1998.
But today Ms Jowell suggested that when the analogue system was switched off and the country goes digital in three or four years’ time, the game could return.
“At that point I think it is right to review the whole of the crown jewels listing and to look at this again. to make sure that with digital switchover, people are still able to see the sporting events that we love, cricket but all the others that have special protection,” she told World at One.
Praising Channel 4’s coverage of this year’s Ashes series, Ms Jowell pointed out that neither the BBC nor the ITV bid when the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) hosted a competition to reallocate broadcasting rights.
“Channel 4 bid for part of the Test package, only Sky bid for the whole lot, and they won the contract. They won it on an absolutely straightforward basis,” she said.
She refused to criticise the ECB for their handling the situation, saying they were “between a rock and a hard place”.
And Ms Jowell noted that the money generated by the Sky deal has been invested in England’s victorious cricket team, as well as grassroots sport.
“The difference between what the Sky deal has given them, and what they would have had had they accepted the Channel 4 deal, is about £96milllion over the four years,” she said.
