Sky Sports subscribers can look forward to more live cricket coverage than ever before after the broadcaster struck a four-year extension to its broadcast deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Running until the end of 2028, the extended deal will see 90 extra hours of live cricket guaranteed on TV each year and provide greater prominence for Vitality Blast with at least 50% more group games being broadcast each season and one game per round being live-streamed for free on Sky Sports Cricket YouTube.
England Women’s cricket will have a defined commitment, including two free-to-air IT20s and there will also be rights for counties to stream every group game on their own platforms and a brand-new weekly highlights show to be broadcast on terrestrial television.
Announcing the extension, Clare Connor, ECB Interim Chief Executive Officer, said: “Sky have been fantastic partners for cricket for over 30 years.
“Their broadcast coverage is rightly lauded as the best in the world, but more significantly than that we have a shared commitment to growing the sport and investing in more opportunities not only for people to watch and follow cricket in all its forms, but also to pick up a bat and ball.
Stephen van Rooyen, EVP and CEO UK and Europe, said: “We will continue to push boundaries in our BAFTA-winning coverage, bringing Sky Sports viewers even more live action from 2025 – including more women’s cricket than ever before – with men’s and women’s England internationals and domestic cricket.
“Sky’s investment over the last 30 years has contributed to a great deal of success on the pitch, and we hope to be at the forefront of much more to come.”