The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced an audio rights partnership with the UK-based public broadcaster, the BBC, for the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland for all ICC events from 2024 to 2027.
The BBC will also produce the Audio World Feed as part of the strategic agreement, guaranteeing that cricket fans worldwide have access to high-quality, live commentary and coverage of all key ICC events.
The agreement with the BBC means that fans all around the world will be able to catch the action on the ICC’s digital platforms, beginning with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 opener between the United States and Canada on June 1. This collaboration demonstrates the ICC’s commitment to increasing cricket’s accessibility and reach across its varied and enthusiastic fan base.
In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, the BBC is going to employ its wide broadcasting channels, notably BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC 5 Sports Extra, to provide full coverage of ICC matches. Furthermore, the commentary and live audio feed will be available online through bbc.co.uk and the BBC Sounds App, enabling fans to follow the game wherever they are.
BBC Cricket has provided unprecedented coverage of ICC men’s and women’s events, beginning with the first Women’s World Cup in 1973 and continuing through the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India last year.
The collaboration will encompass all ICC senior men’s and women’s competitions, as well as the semi-finals and finals of the men’s and women’s U19 World Cups, from 2024 to 2027.
Along with listening to the live feed, the BBC will produce audio podcasts assessing every senior men’s event since 1975, such as all ICC Cricket World Cups, ICC Champions Trophies, ICC T20 World Cups, and ICC World Test Championship Finals, as well as every senior women’s event since 2012, which includes all ICC Cricket World Cups and ICC T20 World Cups. These podcasts will be accessible in the UK on BBC and internationally on the ICC audio player.
ICC Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice, said, “We are delighted to partner with the BBC, an organisation renowned for its rich history in sports broadcasting. This collaboration will significantly elevate the audio experience for cricket fans, providing unparalleled access to ICC events over the next four years through the ICC’s digital platforms.”
Adam Mountford, BBC Head of Cricket, said, “It’s great news that we’ve extended our audio rights partnership with the ICC for another four years. We know from our 50+ years of broadcasting Men’s and Women’s world tournaments that these are events that really resonate with audiences and it’s brilliant that our new deal begins with England’s defence of their Men’s T20 World Cup title. Along with our partnerships with the England and Wales Cricket Board, Cricket Australia and other organisations around the world we have an amazing portfolio of live cricket for listeners to enjoy”