ECB to monitor online audio commentary

da dobrowin： The ECB is re-examining its policy towards broadcasting and television rights

George Dobell21-Feb-2012

The ECB is re-examining its policy towards broadcasting andtelevision rights in the light of the ‘s purchase of theon-line audio commentary service Test Match Sofa.Test Match Sofa offers free ball-by-ball commentary of all Englandinternational games but, due to a legal loophole, is not obliged topay any rights fees to the ECB. Instead, the Test Match Sofa teamcommentate using television coverage of the games from their base inLondon.The company has, until now, been a niche, independent player. Now,however, with the backing of the magazine it has ambitions to become a recognised alternative to the BBC’s iconic Test Match Special. Both at the ECB and the BBC this has been met with some apprehension.”It’s a situation we have to monitor,” the ECB’s commercial director,John Perera said. “We are slightly uncomfortable with the situationand we have had some dialogue with the BBC. They are our audio rightspartner and we will always work with our partners to protect theirrights.”We do not feel that the existence of Test Match Sofa threatens toreduce the value of our rights. But we would be foolish to ignore thesituation and we will have to see if this opens the floodgates.”The ECB has recently agreed a new six-year deal for the BBC to provide exclusivelive radio coverage of all home internationals. There are concernswithin both organisations that the existence of services such as TestMatch Sofa undermine the worth of such deals and could, in time,reduce the ECB’s income.The ECB’s chairman Giles Clarke recently condemned unauthorised websites streaming games, calling them: “The biggest danger to cricket, because they take money outof the game without commercial benefit to us. They are being used bythe bookmakers as well. The problem of pirate-site streaming is verybig for sport.”He has yet to voice what he thinks of Test Match Sofa.