England’s cricket Test tour of Pakistan at risk of television blackout

England might not be able to watch their Test tour of Pakistan on TV in October because no UK broadcasters have attempted to buy the rights for the three-match series.

The Guardian reported that a recent tender document released by the Pakistan Cricket Board has not caught the attention of any UK broadcasters, as none have shown interest in entering negotiations at this point.

The latest Test series between England and Pakistan in December 2022 was shown on Sky Sports, the only channel that can broadcast England's home Test matches. The touring team, led by Ben Stokes, achieved a historic 3-0 series victory in Pakistan thanks to some outstanding batting and disciplined bowling, making them the first side to do so. However, despite this incredible achievement, there doesn't seem to be much excitement surrounding England's upcoming tour.

Sky has given a clear signal to the PCB that they are not interested in bidding, while TNT Sport has decided not to participate in the talks and has no intention to do so.

To make things more complex, the PCB has hired a nearby marketing agency to handle selling the international rights to the series instead of a global corporation like IMG or Pitch International. Despite these companies securing a last-minute deal for England's Test tour to India earlier this year, Channel 4 ultimately acquired the rights during the third Covid lockdown. However, this was a special case as there was a significant TV audience at home. As a result, the channel has not made any bids for Test cricket since.

For nearly three decades, Sky was the place to watch England's away Test series. They were the first to show live coverage of an overseas tour back in 1990. However, in recent years they have been pulling back from showing these matches. Instead, they are choosing to concentrate on securing the rights to show England's home series and important events like the World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy. The next Champions Trophy will be in Pakistan next year.

Sky believes that the expense of acquiring international rights and producing high-quality tours is not worth it because they don't attract enough new subscribers, especially when they already have a lot of live football to show. As a result, Sky Cricket's winter schedule is mainly focused on overseas T20 leagues like the IPL, SA20, and ILT20, with commentary and production done by local teams.

TNT Sport has filled the gap somewhat by acquiring broadcast rights for Test series in Australia, India, New Zealand, and West Indies. However, they have not shown any interest in broadcasting the Pakistan tour. The broadcaster, owned by Warner Bros, has recently made some budget cuts and decided not to renew their deal for the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup rugby. Premier Sports has now taken over the rights for next season's competitions.

The disinterest of television networks is causing a lot of disappointment for cricket enthusiasts. The difficulty of attracting viewers to Test cricket was evident during the beginning of England's series against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford. Out of the 14,500 people who purchased tickets in advance, only a few thousand actually showed up.