Kent Cricket Club facing uncertain future if Tests return to free-to-air
Comments |
by
Adam Williams
The future of Kent County Cricket
Club could be at risk if live Test match coverage is allowed to
return to terrestrial television.
That is the view of Canterbury and
Whitstable MP Julian Brazier. He has written to sports
minister Gerry Sutcliffe in response to the publication last
November of the David Davies Report on behalf of the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport.
Mr Davies, the former BBC sports
correspondent and FA communications director, recommended home
Ashes Test matches should return to free-to-air television.
But Mr Brazier believes money
earned from commercial broadcasters would be hard to match.
He said: "The popularity of cricket
is on the increase and clubs are therefore in need of more
investment, not less.
"I would not like to see the future
of the sport threatened through lack of investment."
His views are echoed by Kent acting
chief executive Jamie Clifford (pictured left), who believes the
move would threaten continued investment in the game, estimating a
£100m income loss across England and Wales over a four-year
period.
He has written to Mr Brazier and
other local MPs, including shadow sports and olympics minister Hugh
Robertson.
He said: "I am extremely concerned
that should the proposals be accepted by the government, the health
of cricket in Kent will undoubtedly suffer."
Since 2006, live coverage of home
Test matches has been provided by Sky Sports, with edited
highlights on Channel 5.
England’s series win against
Australia last summer was the first domestic Ashes series to be
broadcast on subscription television, fuelling calls for it to
return to free-to-air.
Test match cricket on Sky
or free-to-air? Let us know what you think.
Tuesday, February 16 2010
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