ECB welcomes free-to-air consultation

Ben Bradshaw, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, has called on the England & Wales Cricket Board to provide clear evidence that the proposed return of Ashes cricket to free-to-air TV will seriously undermine the sport's finances, as he set in motion a four-month consultation period into the findings of the Davies review into "crown jewel" events.

The ECB have been fiercely opposed to the notion of delisting the Ashes from 2016 onwards, claiming that such a move would knock up to 50% off the value of their £300 million deal with Sky Sports. In announcing the consultation, Bradshaw appeared to have taken this protestation to heart, as he pointedly declined to offer an opinion as to which of the numerous sports - from the Ashes to Wimbledon to the British Open Golf championship - should be included on the list.

On Tuesday, the ECB welcomed the government's cautious approach to the consultation. "[We are] extremely pleased that the Secretary of State Ben Bradshaw remains 'open minded about his final decisions'," read a statement, "and that he has 'not reached any concluded views' on what the ECB views as poorly researched and incomplete report submitted by the advisory panel.

"ECB is also encouraged that the Secretary of State recognises the complex nature of this issue and that he should take into consideration, not only the financial impact on a sport, but also the impact on its plans for strategic development."

It is the ECB's contention that the relisting of the Ashes would have a devastating effect on the financing of grassroots cricket, which has expanded in recent years through direct funding from Sky, enabled it to overcome the loss of mainstream TV exposure. Bradshaw, however, wants proof that this would indeed be the case, and has stated that a simple reduction in broadcast rights income would not necessarily be deemed a sufficient reason for keeping cricket off the list.

"Both the Secretary of State and Minister of Sport Gerry Sutcliffe are big supporters of our grassroots programmes, and the recent success our investment in women's cricket have had on the international stage," the statement continued. "In the coming weeks we will set out to them the hugely detrimental impact the panel's recommendations would have on our successful community projects as well as the potential impact on international cricket, the England teams and the county game.

"We would be happy to offer any input requested by the Secretary of State as he conducts the consultation. ECB will now begin compiling detailed evidence and commissioning research so that we can thoroughly address all of the issues raised by the Secretary of State. ECB will look to meet with the Secretary of State and all broadcasters so that we can discuss with them how the future of our sport would look under different listing requirements."

The ECB also expects the government to clarify the level of compensation that might be forthcoming if the free-to-air plan does go ahead. Furthermore, it renewed its attack on the BBC, which did not bid in any of the past three rounds of rights negotiations. "They have always indicated that they might struggle to make an offer which wouldn't have a detrimental effect on the funding of the sport," read the statement. "They have also given evidence that they don't believe they are under an obligation to screen listed events.

"We trust that the Government will ensure that the consultation is allowed to explore the potential long term sporting, financial and organisational impact not only on cricket, but also all the many other sports who have registered their huge disappointment at both the processes and the findings of the Davies panel."