[Cricket] Sky bids £40m for rights to city-based domestic Twenty20 tournament

[Bozza]

Sky has offered to pay around £40m a year in broadcasting rights for a Twenty20 tournament with teams billed as cities rather than counties when the new format gets under way in 2017.

- 8 cities competing (not counties)
- Money to sign big names IPL style
- Matches played in s 3-4 week mid-Summer block
- County Championship cut to 12 matches to accommodate new competition

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jul/25/sky-ecb-twenty20-cricket-colin-graves

 

[Gwylan]

This was tried a few years ago and was soundly rejected: can't see many counties going for this. There was a fans survey on whether the CC should be cut for more T20 and that wasn't too popular an idea either.

There's also considerable disquiet at the moment that there's no free-to-air cricket right now, something affecting take-up of the game.

It works in India and Australia because the big cities neatly fall into states but our big cities don't: would people from Sheffield support a team from Leeds? People from Liverpool support a team from Manchester? And what of Birmingham, which already has a cricket team - what happens to them?

 

[crodonilson]

Sky has offered to pay around £40m a year in broadcasting rights for a Twenty20 tournament with teams billed as cities rather than counties when the new format gets under way in 2017.

- 8 cities competing (not counties)
- Money to sign big names IPL style
- Matches played in s 3-4 week mid-Summer block
- County Championship cut to 12 matches to accommodate new competition

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jul/25/sky-ecb-twenty20-cricket-colin-graves

So I guess there would be:

London Lightning
London Lions
Birmingham Bears
Manchester Mutiny
Leeds Lynx
Cardiff Cobras
Newcastle Nurse Sharks
Southampton Sailors



Possibly Trent Bridge being the only teast match ground to miss out?? Or maybe swap Cardiff for Nottingham?

 

[Titanic]

...It works in India and Australia because the big cities neatly fall into states but our big cities don't: would people from Sheffield support a team from Leeds? People from Liverpool support a team from Manchester? And what of Birmingham, which already has a cricket team - what happens to them?

or people from Sussex 'supporting' the South Coast Sloggers in Southampton?

 

[surrey jim]

This was tried a few years ago and was soundly rejected: can't see many counties going for this. There was a fans survey on whether the CC should be cut for more T20 and that wasn't too popular an idea either.

There's also considerable disquiet at the moment that there's no free-to-air cricket right now, something affecting take-up of the game.

It works in India and Australia because the big cities neatly fall into states but our big cities don't: would people from Sheffield support a team from Leeds? People from Liverpool support a team from Manchester? And what of Birmingham, which already has a cricket team - what happens to them?

Warwickshire changed their name to Birmingham for 20-20. Assume they would remain playing as Birmingham if this comes to fruition.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Not for me, and very bad for clubs like Sussex who can actually sell out 20 20 games, perhaps if they offer a ridiculous yearly parachute payment of £5 million a year to not be involved. \

More money for the big clubs and agents

 

[Hotchilidog]

Sussex have already said they'll be fighting this but I can see this happening as the decision makers are all short sighted goons.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

And what of Birmingham, which already has a cricket team - what happens to them?

As someone who lives in Warwickshire I refuse to watch a team named 'Birmingham' and never have done since the name change. I can't be alone in this view which I'm sure is based on Football tribalism.

If I ever go the T-20 it's at Trent Bridge who have done a great job of making it a good night out on a Friday.

 

[Gwylan]

Warwickshire changed their name to Birmingham for 20-20. Assume they would remain playing as Birmingham if this comes to fruition.

That's what I mean. The Sky proposal is not based around counties so there'd be something like the Birmingham Barons playing in one competition and the Birmingham Bears playing in another - Warwickshire would be very unhappy about it

 

[fat old seagull]

Sadly IMO this will come to fruition. Simply because like so much today, it's less about Sport and more about £££££££££'s

 

[Elvis]

Not content with F###ing up Football...............

 

[Lady Whistledown]

So I guess there would be:

London Lightning
London Lions
Birmingham Bears
Manchester Mutiny
Leeds Lynx
Cardiff Cobras
Newcastle Nurse Sharks
Southampton Sailors



Possibly Trent Bridge being the only teast match ground to miss out?? Or maybe swap Cardiff for Nottingham?

Where's the cricket ground in Newcastle upon Tyne then?

 

[Eeyore]

It was inevitable, but ultimately it won't work in the way they hope it will. And county cricket is being savaged because of it.

 

[Braggfan]

Bearing in mind that a large part of county teams income is based around T20, I would imagine decreasing the number of t20 teams will signifcantly hit the counties that aren't particpating or are sharing a franchise with another county. Some teams will signifcanlty benefit from this while others could go out of buisness. Any new T20 arrangement must look at helping all teams not just a select few, whilst preserving the other formats.

 

[SwedishSonna]

Where's the cricket ground in Newcastle upon Tyne then?

It's in Jesmond where Northumberland CCC play out of. Quite a nice little ground.

 

[mona]

And it will weaken the England test team.
Bob Willis and the money men will be happy.
Cricket for people who don't really like the game.

 

[mona]

Bearing in mind that a large part of county teams income is based around T20, I would imagine decreasing the number of t20 teams will signifcantly hit the counties that aren't particpating or are sharing a franchise with another county. Some teams will signifcanlty benefit from this while others could go out of buisness. Any new T20 arrangement must look at helping all teams not just a select few, whilst preserving the other formats.

The plan is to smash up county cricket.

 

[keitho54]

Where's the cricket ground in Newcastle upon Tyne then?

http://newcastlecc.org.uk
It's in Jesmond. Nice ground.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

It's in Jesmond where Northumberland CCC play out of. Quite a nice little ground.

Righto. Bit of a slap in the face for Durham CCC if they were to base a team in Newcastle then.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Righto. Bit of a slap in the face for Durham CCC if they were to base a team in Newcastle then.

This move is not about appeasing those not involved, its about the money money money, for the few