No worries, I'm glad i've been able to clarify it and we can move on.

There could well be a way the ECB could do that, I think a lot relies on timing though and whether it's one of the few remaining rights battle grounds of the period. The recent NRL/AFL rights deals in Australia are a good example. Make the wrong move as a governing body and you could find yourselves tens of millions down on expectations

It must be almost certain that the next ECB TV contract will show a big increase in total value.

The ECB was extremely unlucky that it signed its deal with Sky for 2014/17 (together with an option for 2018/19) in January 2012 – just before BT entered the TV sports market by acquiring its first live Premier League rights.

We have seen very substantial increases in rights values across many different sports rights contracts since then. It’s just very unfortunate indeed that the ECB is already locked in until 2019 so won’t see the benefit of this increased competition until 2020.

The Cynical view by many is that Giles Clarke is in with Sky so luck played no part in it. And in retrospect it was rather silly of the ECB to sell such a long deal in an era when change has been rapid.

The next UK cricket rights - will they be an one size fits all - so Sky and presumably BT bid for the lot (tests, ODI's, county 20/20) or can there be a split (like football has with BBC/BT having the FA Cup, Sky the PL etc), so two games could be up against each other on the same day (although looking at how the season is planned it could only really be a County Championship game up against a Test or ODI - never a county 20/20 against a Test or ODI at the moment?).

Can't really see that happening, think the package would be as a whole but wouldn't a wholesale sale be against some kind of competition laws?

This was the last I saw, suggesting split deals.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cri...c-cricket.html

The chances are it would be exclusive, but the T20 domestic programme could be separated if ECB feel it would suit them best, but then again the T20 domestic programme never really rated well in this country so hard for a new broadcaster just showing that.

If FTA show interest ECB may also give those rights away for cheap.
ECB don't even have to accept the highest bid, just the best bids that suit them.
Like I said before with them being company limited by guarantee they don't necessarily have to make the maximum number of profit, especially if that profit harms the funding of the sport.
Right now ECB make losses every 2 years of the cycle and then make up those numbers when india/Australia tour.
With the rights predicted to increase substantially and ICC money increasing as well now plus the huge possibility of Aus/India touring more often could mean ECB is more happy to give away some rights especially since they should be making profit and huge profits every year.

it should be the most interesting rights considering of BT entrances, Sky facing stiff competition, Counties wanting some sort of FTA coverage and England Cricket getting far more money.

TBH I have a feeling few matches might be FTA or Sky/BT show some of them in the more widely available channels.

It is not illegal and practically every sport is sold that way. The only major exceptions I can think of are the Premier League and Pro12.

The former only saw an intervention because the value was so great that, at the time, only Sky could afford to bid. This was deemed to prevent competition as it meant no entrant could bid. No other rights (including for other soccer competitions) are worth enough to be deemed as distorting the market in that way.

But you will not see cricket matches on rival channels at the same time as it would not be in a broadcasters interest to do so as it would only split the audience, not expand it by any notable degree. Which is why even the Premier League does not do that, the value to broadcasters having their own exclusive timeslots is worth more to them than having to share one.

Although, for reference, T20 Blast matches can clash with international ones too.

The afternoon of May 21st sees both Lancashire's opening T20 match against Derbyshire and day three of the first test against Sri Lanka at Headingley.

There will be seven Friday night T20 blast matches on June 24th, which will also see the second ODI played against Sri Lanka in a day-night match at Edgbaston.

I'd expect that to change when a new competition is announced.

New voice in the comm box this test. Ashwell Prince, has he replaced anyone or is it an extra voice.

He's replaced Robin Jackman for this test.

Wonder if David Lloyd could persuade him back to Lancashire??

Now two days to fill - which would be a pain for a terrestial broadcaster....and even a pain for Sky...which is, of course, one of the best arguments for having cricket on a specialist channel. But glancing at the snooker, and the many early/late finishes there - that must also be a headache for TV...yet there seem to be endless hours of it on the BBC!!

Nasser Hussain and Nick Knight heading out to South Africa for the ODI's. Bumble is coming home, don't know who else.

Beefy normally does the one-dayers, and I imagine Athers will stay as he has his role with the times

Athers normally doesn't do the ODIs for the Times, they are almost exclusively done by the deputy cricket correspondent Richard Hobson.

Beefy has said he is flying back to the UK at the end of this Test Match.

Surprised by that. So Knight, Nass & Athers for the 1 dayers

T20 Masters Champions League: How to watch on Sky Sports

Brian Lara leads cricketing legends set to play in T20 Masters tournament to be streamed live on Sky Sports' digital platforms...

But what is the tournament all about? Who else is playing, and for what teams? And have any ex-England internationals have signed up? Here is all you need to know before the competition kicks off on January 28.

THE FORMAT

This is the inaugural Masters Champions League (MCL), set up by Pakistan-born Zafar Shah, a cricket enthusiast and entrepreneur, so that many of the top cricket legends that had left international cricket prior to the launch of the Twenty20, could compete in the format.

Six teams named after six of the zodiac signs compete against one another once in the tournament to be held in the United Arab Emirates, with the top four in the table after five games progressing through to the semi-finals, and ultimately the final in Dubai on February 13.

PLAYER AUCTION

With a total budget of US $750,000 to spend on players, two 'legend' players were bought by each team for a combined $100,000 before the auction, while six 'icon' players, with a base price set at $100,000, were bid for to be spread out among the six teams.

Former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis attracted the highest bid of $175,000 by the Libra Legends, ex-Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist was the second most expensive, purchased for $170,000 by the Sagittarius Strikers and Paul Collingwood the most expensive Englishman at $140,000, brought by the Capricorn Commanders.

LIVE STREAM ON SKY SPORTS digital platforms

Thursday 28 January
Libra Legends v Gemini Arabians, Dubai, 3.30pm
Friday 29 January
Capricorn Commanders v Leo Lions, Dubai, 11am
Virgo Super Kings v Sagittarius Strikers, Dubai, 3.30pm
Saturday 30 January
Gemini Arabians v Leo Lions, Dubai, 11am
Sagittarius Strikers v Capricorn Commanders, Dubai, 3.30pm
Wednesday 3 February
Libra Legends v Virgo Super Kings, Sharjah, 11am
Gemini Arabians v Capricorn Commanders, Sharjah, 3.30pm
Thursday 4 February
Libra Legends v Sagittarius Strikers, Sharjah, 11am
Leo Lions v Virgo Super Kings, Sharjah, 3.30pm
Friday 5 February
Sagittarius Strikers v Gemini Arabians, Sharjah, 11am
Capricorn Commanders v Libra Legends, Sharjah, 3.30pm
Saturday 6 February
Gemini Arabians v Virgo Super Kings, Sharjah, 11am
Leo Lions v Sagittarius Strikers, Sharjah, 3.30pm
Sunday 7 February
Virgo Super Kings v Capricorn Commanders, Sharjah, 11am
Libra Legends v Leo Lions, Sharjah, 3.30pm
Thursday 11 February
Semi-final 1 (1st place v 4th place), Dubai, 3.30pm
Friday 12 February
Semi-final 2 (2nd place v 3rd place), Dubai, 3.30pm
Saturday 13 February
Final, Dubai, 3.30pm

Watch live streams from the Masters Champions League on Sky Sports' digital platforms where you can also keep up-to-date with all the latest news throughout the tournament.

Teams

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_M...ampions_League

Sky Sports' digital platforms??

Is this Red button OR Sky Sports Xtra (Silverlight/Xbox)?

Could just be a free live stream on the website, like they've done with some British basketball recently. Can't see it making the red button.

Wonder if that means they don't want to pay for TV rights, just bought Internet rights.

Announcement the day before it starts, and no actual TV coverage suggests they probably didn't pay anything for it.

No Atherton. He's gone home.

http://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2016...-event-to-date
media release for the icc under 19 world cup.
first production under Sunset + vine and it will be done under the name of ICC TV.

Commentators for the world cup is.

today coverage pretty much confirms that ICC called the shots before since nothing really got changed from the graphics, production or commentators from past tournaments.

Yeah the surprise is that none of the Asian channel went for it.
Unless they are saving money for the Asia cup/Pakistan super league which is supposedly having loads of broadcaster placing bids for it.