Sky Sports on verge of last-gasp TV deal to show Pakistan v England Test series

Sky Sports are closing in on an 11th-hour deal to broadcast England’s Test series in Pakistan, which begins on Monday.

The England squad flew to Pakistan on Tuesday for a series that has been subject to organisational chaos, with the venues (the first two Tests in Multan, and third in Rawalpindi) only confirmed 17 days before the first ball is bowled amid upgrades at stadiums in the country ahead of February’s Champions Trophy.

That uncertainty had extended to the broadcast of matches on TV and radio in the UK. An initial tender from the Pakistan Cricket Board saw no TV networks enter negotiations, but it is understood Sky have stepped in and are in the final stages of agreeing a deal, pending approval from the PCB board. Sky broadcast England’s last tour of Pakistan in December 2022.

It is unclear whether the agreement would be for this tour only, or a long-term deal between Sky and the PCB. But Sky are hoping the deal will be finalised in time to ensure that their regulars Ian Ward and Nasser Hussain are on the ground for the first Test alongside Michael Atherton, who will already be there. They would join the host broadcaster’s feed, which includes David Gower, who will be back on Sky having left in 2019, and others such as Urooj Mumtaz and Ramiz Raja.

TNT Sports are not thought to have entered the market, despite holding the rights for a number of overseas cricket territories, including India. They will broadcast England’s tours of the West Indies and New Zealand later this year.

TNT Sports’ deal to show Australian international cricket expires this summer and it remains to be seen whether their lack of interest in the rights for Pakistan could precipitate a cooling of appetite for a deal for next winter’s Ashes tour. Sky hold the right for the men’s and women’s Big Bash and may be tempted to enter the market for Australian internationals.

In recent years, Sky have largely opted not to pick up rights for bilateral internationals, pouring their resources into their bumper deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board to show the home summer and the International Cricket Council to broadcast global events. Should their deal for Pakistan be completed, October will be a busy month of cricket on Sky as they show the Tests in the morning, then Women’s t20 World Cup matches from the UAE in the afternoon.

While it is increasingly common for broadcast deals to be finalised late in the day, especially in Asian markets, bilateral cricket’s broadcast value is dropping by the year as interest from networks drops.

BBC Test Match Special beat Talksport to the radio rights for the Pakistan tour. They hope to send a team, including Jonathan Agnew in his final month as cricket correspondent, on the tour.

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