ICC World Cup 2019 | Free-to-air final’s viewership figures nearly equal that of the 2005 Ashes
The World Cup final on Sunday was made free-to-air in the host nation and attracted large viewership, almost managing to match the record set by the Ashes 14 years ago. Further, England’s cricket director stated it would have been impossible to lift the trophy without the support of Sky.
For the first time since the 2005 Ashes Test match at Trent Bridge, an international cricket match involving England was made free-to-air in the UK. The match was broadcast on several channels, including Main Event, Sky One and Channel 4. Even though the Wimbledon final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer was taking place simultaneously apart from the British Grand Prix, the clash between England and New Zealand received 8.3 million views.
In 2005, when Michael Vaughan had famously led the English team to their first Ashes triumph in as many as 18 years, 8.4 million people had tuned in to witness the joyous moment-- only a fraction more than the ones who watched England lift their maiden World Cup. To put the numbers into context, less than 500,000 people watched the 2015 Ashes’ first Test match.
While the stadium tickets were sold out and thousands had gathered in the official fan zone in Trafalgar Square, most had to resign to watching the game from their homes and were able to do it for free after the cricket board had encouraged the move. The England and Wales Cricket Board director Ashley Giles went so far as to say that it was Sky’s contribution to the sport in the country that had made winning the tournament possible.
“The investment in the game from grassroots to professional has allowed us to do what we've done. Sky took the game on and have been fantastic supporters since. Thank you to them for allowing it on Channel 4," he was quoted saying BBC Radio 4, reported EspnCricinfo.
Next summer onwards, as per a deal agreed upon by the BBC two years ago, ten men's matches and eight women's matches from The Hundred per year, as well as two men's T20Is and one women's T20I will be shown on a free-to-air basis in the UK.
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