BBC Wins Fight For Test Cricket Rights

The BBC has signed a five-year deal for the exclusive radio rights to live Test cricket matches, beating off a bid from Kelvin MacKenzie’s TalkSport. It is believed that the £5 million offer from the BBC beat a £7.5 million proposal by the national commercial sports station.

MacKenzie accused the Corporation of snobbery after his bid was knocked back in favour of the BBC’s pledge to extend its broadcasts to cover Radio 1, Radio 5 Live and BBC local radio stations, as well as its live Radio 4 long-wave coverage. BBC director general Greg Dyke personally led the presentation of its case to the England and Wales Cricket Board, which granted another five-year licence to the BBC starting in the summer of 2001.

Last year TalkSport swiped the broadcast rights to England’s cricket tour of South Africa from the BBC. Its coverage of the event marked the first time a Test series had been broadcast exclusively on a commercial station (see Talk Radio Secures Exclusive Cricket Broadcast Rights).

The BBC’s new deal covers all home cricket Tests and one-day internationals and the final stages of the Benson & Hedges Cup and NatWest Trophy. It will provide highlights programmes on Radio 5 and, for the first time, reports on Radio 1’s Newsbeat. The BBC has agreed to pay for marketing of the series.

BBC Radio: 020 7580 4468 TalkSport: 020 959 7800