25-06-2024, 10:24 PM
(25-06-2024, 10:22 PM)Jon Wrote: Can’t read the full article as it’s behind a paywall, but what I can see says nothing about Sky. So what point are you making?
There is a bit in the article saying this
Meanwhile, Sky Sports will seek to resist any pressure to allow Saturday’s final to be shown on free-to-air TV, should England get there.
When England reached the previous T20 World Cup final in 2022, Sky — the exclusive UK TV rights holder for the tournament — did a deal with Channel 4 to show the game as well. It had also done so for the 50-over World Cup final in 2019, which attracted a peak audience of 8.7million when England beat New Zealand at Lord’s.
It is understood that Sky has no plans at the moment to share the rights for the final, though the broadcaster will additionally put the match on its Sky Showcase channel, which does not require a Sky Sports subscription.
Sources say the company has to balance ensuring its subscribers receive value for money with possible calls to make the game available to free-to-air TV. Sky also needs a return on its investment in what has been a somewhat disjointed tournament played at three venues in the United States and six in the Caribbean.
A significant financial offer would be needed to tempt Sky while Channel 4 appears to be focusing its resources elsewhere, including covering the Paralympics in Paris this summer.
The knockout rounds of Euro 2024 are also taking place this weekend. England will be playing their round-of-16 game, with the tournament all being screened on free-to-air TV by the BBC and ITV.
Furthermore, no broadcaster bid to screen last weekend’s rugby union international between England and Japan, which ended up on the online streaming platform RugbyPass.
In the past politicians have put pressure on Sky to share the rights to cricket finals, but given that parliament is still dissolved before the general election on July 4 those demands are likely to be dialled down. Sky could also point out that all homes with broadband can access the final via a daily subscription on the streaming platform Now.