BT takes Sky's wicket after securing Ashes rights

24th Aug 2015 08:16

(ShareCast News) - The next Ashes cricket series might be two years away but, as far as broadcasting is concerned, the biggest wicket of the tour has already fallen, as BT pipped Sky to the rights.The telecom giant, which has already snaffled exclusive rights for the Champions League and will show 42 Premier League matches from the beginning of next season, has secured a five-year deal to show all Australian home cricket internationals exclusively in the UK.The deal, understood to be worth approximately £16m, is a big blow for Sky, which lost the Champions League rights to BT last year.In a statement released on Monday, BT Sport said it will also show 35 Big Bash League matches, with one game per week to be broadcast on the group's free-to-air channel, alongside daily highlights packages."We are delighted to be entering into this important new partnership with BT Sport," said Ben Amarfio, Cricket Australia executive general manager of media."BT Sport put forward a highly compelling bid for the rights to broadcast cricket from Australia to audiences throughout the UK"They are uniquely placed to become one of the UK's largest sports channels and we think cricket can provide the content and opportunities to help them do just that."BT shares were down 1.53% to 429.05p at 0831 BST on Monday.