The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has today agreed a new broadcast deal with UK commercial broadcaster Channel 5 to provide free-to-air coverage of international T20 (IT20) matches.
Under a four-year deal, Channel 5 will show four live IT20 cricket fixtures each year.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Two international England men’s fixtures and two international England women’s matches will be shown on the broadcaster’s linear channel and streaming service across the spring and summer months.
The matches will be simulcast with pay-TV giant Sky Sports.
Additionally, Channel 5 will stream highlights from county cricket’s T20 Vitality Blast competition across the season.
The first Vitality IT20 internationals to be aired will be England Women v West Indies Women on Monday (May 26), followed by England Men v West Indies Men on June 8.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataEngland Women v India Women will be aired on June 28, and finally, England Men v South Africa Men on September 14.
The commercial network previously broadcast the England men’s cricket team’s highlights every summer from 2006 to 2019 and was the free-to-air home of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023.
The deal follows the recent extension of the ECB’s partnership with the BBC, in which the public-service broadcaster will continue to air England men’s and women’s international highlights and live coverage of The Hundred short-format competition for the next four years.
The BBC previously held live FTA rights to England's international fixtures, but this was not included in the new contract.
Channel 5 has increased its summer sports offering after recently snapping up a rights package to air games from the upcoming 2025 FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament through a sublicensing deal with global streaming service DAZN.
Meanwhile, Richard Thompson has been reappointed as chair of the ECB until September 2028.
Thompson was originally appointed in 2022 for a five-year term, expiring in September 2027. However, ECB members voted earlier this year to revise the organization's Articles of Association, changing the term for a chair from five years to three, with a chair able to serve a maximum of two three-year terms.
The ECB’s non-executive directors decided unanimously to reappoint Thompson for a second three-year term, extending his period in office by one year.
Changing to a three-year term brings the ECB in line with standard governance practice across other national governing bodies in the UK.
The ECB board decided to confirm Thompson’s reappointment well in advance of the end of his current term to “ensure stability and continuity” ahead of a period when the governing body will be introducing the eight new investors into The Hundred and hosting the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2026.
Thompson is also a key figure in leading cricket back into the Olympics in 2028, sitting on the ICC Olympic Working Group and chairing the ICC Global Growth Committee.
On his reappointment, Thompson said: “I’m honoured to be able to continue serving the game I care so passionately about. Whether it’s growing participation and breaking down barriers or supporting our professional game and England teams, I’ll continue to work closely with our stakeholders to deliver a game that truly reflects and inspires our communities.
“I’m grateful to the board for their confidence and to everyone across the cricketing family for their continued support.”
Upon his original appointment in August 2022, Thompson filled a position that had been vacant since October 2021.
Previous chair Ian Watmore had stepped down – after a little over 10 months in the role – in the wake of the ECB’s decision to pull out of a scheduled men’s tour to Pakistan at extremely short notice.
Watmore was blamed by the counties for this debacle and subsequently jumped before he was pushed, it was reported at the time.
