The Future of the Game Lies in Children, Not Broadcast Rights

The England men's cricket team achieved a truly historic and solid victory in the first Test match against India in Chennai, India on February 9, 2021. Before this match, India had lost only one out of their last 35 Test matches at home and had not lost in Chennai since 1999. The triumph was largely attributed to the exceptional performance of England's captain, Joe Root, who scored the highest individual score ever by an English player in a test match in India. Additionally, fast bowler James Anderson's exceptional display of swing bowling on the final day significantly shifted the momentum in England's favour.

This match was significant for another reason as well. It marked the first time since 2005 that England's test cricket team appeared live on UK terrestrial television. Previously, England's Test matches were considered national treasures and were required to be broadcast live and freely available. However, this meant that the game missed out on the potential revenue from broadcasting rights on pay TV.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) successfully petitioned the government, and in late 2004, it was announced that Test cricket would be demoted to the B-list after 2005. This change allowed broadcasters like Sky TV to acquire exclusive rights to broadcast Test cricket on subscription channels. Consequently, except for a few exceptions, people without paid TV subscriptions have been unable to watch live international cricket in the UK.

The timing of this decision was unfortunate because the 2005 series was particularly momentous. UK viewers had the opportunity to witness their team's hard-fought victory, breaking Australia's 16-year dominance of the Ashes and reclaiming the trophy on home soil for the first time in 18 years. In a BBC Radio 5 Live poll conducted in 2005, 80% of respondents stated that they now preferred cricket over football. The announcement of the television deal with Sky in December 2004 initially sparked dissatisfaction, which turned into dismay as people realised what the general public would miss out on.

Following standout victories in English cricket, there is often a discussion about capitalising on the sport's popularity among the public. This desire is fueled, in part, by the ambition to match the financial success of football. The belief that cricket should be more popular explains why the sport has continuously experimented with different formats, such as one-day games, T20 matches, and the upcoming launch of The Hundred, an even more condensed version of the game.

Engaging Children in Cricket

Suggestions for expanding the game's popularity consistently revolve around the aim of involving a greater number of children. For example, The Hundred is marketed as "an unforgettable experience for the entire family." However, how feasible is this goal? In a 2012 survey conducted for the Cricket Foundation (published in the Journal of the Cricket Society in 2014, accessible only to online members), we discovered that although 76.5% of primary school children played cricket at school, only 20% were able to correctly identify the captain of the England men's team. Among secondary school children, we found that the shorter T20 cricket format was twice as popular as Test cricket. Merely a quarter of these children had witnessed a live cricket match or claimed to watch England's Test matches on television.

While 35.8% owned an England football shirt, merely 9.3% possessed the corresponding cricket equipment. However, the most noteworthy aspect is that children overwhelmingly desired more opportunities to play the game rather than the freedom to watch matches live or on TV.

Thus, it appears that children distinctly engage with cricket compared to adults. Children primarily seek the thrill of hitting a ball or experiencing the vibrant atmosphere of a boisterous crowd. Adults, on the other hand, are more attracted to the intellectual engagement offered by the game. Developing an understanding of the sport's intricacies requires time, and for those seeking to enhance cricket's popularity, progress can be frustratingly slow.

Cricket’s Popularity is Beyond Television Coverage

What factors contribute to cricket's popularity? It appears that extensive television coverage may not be as significant as previously thought. Even when Sky TV generously shared coverage of the 2019 Men's Cricket World Cup final with free-to-air channels, the number of viewers was only 100,000 less than the peak viewership in 2005. Therefore, not much had changed over the intervening 14 years. Instead, we can learn from the 2005 Ashes series and the unprecedented hold that cricket had on the nation's attention. The success of major sporting events is often connected to a broader social narrative. The 2005 Ashes series coincided with a new, more inclusive, democratic, and open sense of Englishness. The team challenged the notion that cricket was an upper-class game, with a down-to-earth hero in all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who was passionately supported by the Barmy Army.

Furthermore, during that Ashes series, London was subjected to terrorist bombings at various transportation hubs, resulting in the deaths of 52 people and countless injuries. The country was in desperate need of a positive boost. Looking back to the 1981 Ashes series, cricket historians recall that England was experiencing bitter and divisive race riots at the time. It was during this series that another great all-rounder, Ian Botham, almost single-handedly defeated the visiting Australian team.

Cricket's popularity is closely tied to England's success. However, after a triumph in this year's first Test against India, there was a significant defeat in the subsequent game. Ultimately, whether English fans continue to enjoy the success or failure of their national team on free-to-air TV, the future of the sport lies in the hands of children who enthusiastically grab their bats and balls and head outside to play.