Sky will make highlights of the 2013/14 Ashes series available to millions of UK homes via its free-to-air channel Pick.
Cricket fans without Sky Sports will be able to catch up on all of the previous day’s play from this eagerly anticipated contest for free every night during the series.
Throughout the entire five-match Ashes series, a comprehensive one-hour highlights programme, presented by Charles Colville, will be broadcast on the Sky-owned Pick channel at 10.00pm.
This will give millions of homes across the UK the opportunity to watch all the essential action from each day’s play.
It will also give fans the chance to sample Sky Sports’ highly acclaimed cricket coverage for the first time on a free-to-air platform.
Pick is a free-to-view channel available on Freeview channel 11, Freesat 144, Sky 152 and Virgin Media 180.
It offers a mix of entertainment, lifestyle and factual programming and often showcases some of Sky’s top subscription content.
The move by Sky to place nightly highlights on one of its free-to-air platforms comes after the broadcaster failed to agree a sub licencing deal with either the BBC or ITV, who screened terrestrial highlights of the last two Ashes series in Australia in 2006/07 and 2010/11 respectively.
Unlike previous Ashes series Down Under, where they acquired highlights rights directly from Cricket Australia, terrestrial broadcasters this time had to negotiate through BSkyB, who own exclusive UK rights for both live and highlights coverage.
With terrestrial channels unable to screen its highlights programmes until 10.00pm, not long before the start of the following day’s play, coupled with the high price asked by Sky for the rights, it meant that there were no takers among the main terrestrial channels this time around.
Sky’s compromise in using its own free-to-air channel to broadcast highlights to millions, who would otherwise miss out on the chance to see England’s attempt to retain the much-prized Ashes urn, will be welcomed by cricket fans as it avoids a complete blackout of cricket’s most famous contest on free-to-air television.
The last time that an Ashes series was not shown in some capacity on free-to-air television was in 1994/95, while Channel 5 have screened highlights of the last two Ashes series in England as part of their broadcast deal with the ECB.
Stephen Ladlow, channel director of the Sky-owned Pick channel, said: “We are delighted to be able to showcase such a huge sporting event on Pick for our viewers.
“The Ashes is always compelling viewing and making the highlights available on Pick will give many more homes the opportunity to get a daily dose of Sky’s outstanding cricket coverage.”
The first Test in Brisbane begins on November 20 and Sky Sports’ usual commentary team of David Gower, Michael Atherton, Sir Ian Botham, Nasser Hussain, Andrew Strauss, David Lloyd and Shane Warne will all be Down Under to describe the action as it happens.
Sky Sports will be the only place to watch England’s defence of the Ashes in Australia live this winter across multiple platforms, including exclusively live TV coverage and online streaming via Sky Go and the Sky Sports iPad app.
In addition to extensive live coverage, Sky Sports will also screen regular daytime and prime-time highlights, giving subscribers plenty of chances to catch up on the overnight action.
The same one-hour highlights show from each day’s play will be broadcast free-to-air across the UK on Pick at 10.00pm every night during the Ashes, plus the following One-Day Internationals and T20 contests.
Check out how you can follow all the 2013/14 Ashes action Down Under with Sport On The Box’s complete viewing guide.
