There was some pulsating cricket at the Oval yesterday as Kevin Pietersen’s debut as England captain coincided with Steve Harmison hurling 93 mph missiles at a bloodied opposition. The only problem was that the audience for this great sporting drama was so much smaller than it was a few years ago. This is not because interest in cricket has dipped in recent years (if anything it has grown). It is because the English Cricket Board (ECB) took a calculated decision to reduce the possible televised audience for test cricket in return for a bumper pay cheque from Sky. This week they confirmed that the deal with Sky is being extended until 2013. By doing this, the ECB are risking the long term health of the game for short term financial gain. They are being negligent in their role as guardians of the future of one of our two national team games.
The Ashes series of 2005 attracted a terrestrial TV audience of over 10 million. Since the ECB sold live test match rights to Sky the audience has at times been well below one million. That cannot be healthy for the long term future of the game. Many of the people who tuned in to watch the Ashes series were kids attracted to the game for the first time – bringing a whole new generation to the game. Now, at least half of people under 18 will not be able to watch test match cricket as they are in households without access to Sky. Children that could be idolising Flintoff, Pietersen and all may be grow up without any real exposure to the game. How can any amount of money from Sky be used to justify this criminal neglect for the health of the sport. Terrestrial coverage, by its very nature, brings with it ‘accidental viewers’, who become suddenly hooked on this most captivating of sports. It means that cricket can become the background to many a family summers day – exposing the heroics on the field to a new generation seeking to replicate this heroics. The ECB’s greed means that this potential exposure is lost. By sticking cricket coverage on to Sky Sports, only dedicated cricket watchers will probably now seek out test match coverage. The oxygen of exposure is lost. In a competitive sporting market, cricket should be doing all that it can to appeal to people rather than hiding behind expensive subscription channels.
The ECB have sold the soul of the game for Murdoch’s cash. They have grabbed Sky’s money to prop up the antiquated structure of county cricket and with a wanton disregard for the long term health of the game. As the ECB count their bounty, perhaps they will reflect for a moment that they are depriving the game of its lifeblood and knowingly preventing millions from the excitement of next year’s Ashes series. They should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.
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