TNT Sports is likely to sign a five-year contract for exclusive rights to international cricket in India, cementing their position as the host of England’s overseas tours.
The long-term deal will also provide more confidence to cricket fans, who had been waiting to see if any broadcaster would buy up the rights to England’s five-Test series in India, which begins next week.
TNT Sports is expected to outbid streaming provider DAZN for those rights, according to Mail Sport, and conversations have also resulted in a five-year agreement.
England will travel to India in January for a white-ball trip that includes three one-day internationals and three T20s, as well as a five-Test tour with no fixed date, both of which will be covered by the upcoming new arrangement with TNT Sports.
The BCCI sold India’s global TV rights to media agency Pitch Agency last year in a convoluted procedure, and they are now responsible for selling them to individual broadcasters in each area.
The UK sale was delayed because all broadcasters were preoccupied with the Premier League tender process before Christmas, and discussions finally started last week.
Sky Sports declined to bid since they are focused on covering England’s home series as well as significant global events such as the World Cup and T20 World Cup, and terrestrial broadcasters showed little interest.
Channel 4 negotiated an 11th-hour deal to transmit England’s previous Test tour of India three years ago, but this was viewed as a one-time event because the country was still under lockdown restrictions, offering a captive audience for television.
TNT Sports’ winning bid means that they now have exclusive rights to the majority of England’s abroad trips.
In its previous incarnation as BT Sport, they broadcast England’s last two Ashes visits and now hold exclusive rights to all international cricket in Australia, New Zealand, and the West Indies.
Sky Sports owns the rights to England’s trips to South Africa and Pakistan, but they are increasingly focusing their winter offerings on franchise cricket, such as the Big Bash League in Australia and the SA20 in South Africa, both of which are currently broadcast.
TNT has no plans to send a commentary team to India and will instead rely on the globe stream, but former England captains Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan have been lined up to provide expert analysis in the studios.
