TV debate rises from the Ashes
Ricky Ponting and Andrew Strauss are captaining the Australian and English sides respectively in this year's Ashes
While subscribers to Sky's sports packages will be able to settle down for the Ashes series from today (8th July), a number of people are set to miss out on the action for the first time.
In the past, the event has been shown on free-to-air channels as part of a list of sporting events - including the rugby and football World Cups and Wimbledon - protected by the Broadcasting Act 1996.
However, it was given a lower level of protection around a decade ago and Sky's purchase of the rights means this year is the first that the showpiece is not being shown live on terrestrial platforms.
According to the Guardian, the issue has arisen at a critical time in the debate over broadcasting rights, as the government is currently undertaking a review into the sports protected under current legislation.
Chaired by David Davies, the former executive director of the Football Association, it will see the current list of events – which was compiled in 1998 – potentially overhauled.
However, will the review see the Ashes return to the likes of the BBC? It is open for debate, but it would be wrong to suggest that there are not benefits in the long-term from selling such rights.
Former culture secretary Andy Burnham admitted the issue at the end of last year, saying: "The sale of TV rights helps fund grassroots sport, so we need to get the balance right.
"We also need to make sure that, in a changing world, the protected list is kept up to date."
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Comments
I can't believe that the Ashes, once part of the 'crown jewels' of British sport, are no longer protected. It's such a shame and hardly the way to go about encouraging grassroots take up of the sport - by making it more elite and only watchable by those who can afford sky.