Cricket Broadcasting History: From Radio to Streaming
How cricket broadcasting evolved from early radio commentary in the 1920s to satellite television and modern streaming platforms, and what it means for global reach.
Cricket broadcasting has a longer and richer history than almost any other sport. The game's natural pauses and complex storytelling made it ideal for radio — and that early relationship shaped how billions of fans experience cricket today.
Radio: The 1920s Beginning
The first cricket commentary on radio is widely attributed to 1927, when the BBC broadcast Ashes commentary from Australia. The medium was transformative: listeners thousands of miles away could follow a Test match ball by ball for the first time. Early broadcasters had to paint pictures with words — describing field placements, facial expressions, and atmosphere.
The BBC's Test Match Special (TMS), launched in 1957, became the gold standard. Its combination of ball-by-ball commentary, expert analysis, and gentle humour made it an institution. TMS still broadcasts today and has been continuous on BBC Radio 4 Long Wave and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.
Television: The 1960s Revolution
BBC television began regular cricket coverage in the late 1930s but it was after World War II that cricket television became established. The BBC's exclusive rights deal meant UK viewers had free-to-air access to Test cricket for decades. The introduction of slow-motion replays in the 1960s and colour television by the early 1970s transformed the viewer experience.
Kerry Packer and World Series Cricket (1977–1979)
The most disruptive event in cricket broadcasting history was Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket. Australian media magnate Packer was denied broadcast rights by the Australian Cricket Board and responded by signing the world's best players to a breakaway competition — broadcast on his own Channel 9 network.
Packer's innovations became standard: coloured clothing, white balls, drop-in pitches, multiple cameras including one behind the stumps, player microphones, and night cricket under floodlights. Many of these were adopted by official cricket authorities after the WSC settlement in 1979.
Satellite and Pay-TV: The 1990s Split
Sky Sports in the UK acquired exclusive broadcasting rights to England home Tests in 2005. This moved cricket behind a paywall and sparked ongoing debate about free-to-air accessibility. Subscriber numbers for cricket broadcasts rose, production quality improved dramatically, but casual viewership among non-subscribers declined.
Similar pay-TV shifts happened globally: Star Sports in India, SuperSport in South Africa, Fox Sports in Australia. Rights fees rose sharply as competition between broadcasters increased, channelling significant revenue to cricket boards.
India's Broadcasting Revolution
The Indian Premier League, launched in 2008, transformed cricket broadcasting economics globally. IPL television rights (sold to Sony initially, then Star Sports and Viacom18) generated billions. The 2023 IPL media rights deal — covering 2023–2027 — sold for approximately $6.2 billion USD, making the IPL the second most valuable sports league per match globally after the NFL.
Streaming Era: 2010s Onward
Digital and streaming rights became a separate rights package from the mid-2010s. Willow TV (USA), Hotstar/Disney+, Amazon Prime, and now JioStar stream cricket to global diaspora audiences. The ability to watch matches on mobile devices transformed how cricket is consumed, particularly in the Indian subcontinent.
Modern Production
Modern cricket broadcasts use Hawk-Eye ball tracking, Snickometer (audio spike detection), Hot Spot (infra-red imaging), UltraEdge, and Spider-Cam. Commentary teams include former international players as expert analysts. Social media clips and highlights packages now compete with live broadcast for engagement.
Frequently asked questions
When did cricket first appear on radio?
The first radio commentary of cricket dates to 1927 when the BBC broadcast commentary from the Ashes series in Australia. This was revolutionary — for the first time fans could follow Test cricket remotely, ball by ball.
What did Kerry Packer change in cricket broadcasting?
Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket (1977–79) introduced coloured clothing, white balls, night cricket under floodlights, multiple camera angles, on-pitch microphones, and the camera behind the stumps. Almost all his innovations were later adopted by official cricket.
Why is English cricket behind a paywall?
Sky Sports acquired exclusive UK broadcast rights to England home Tests in 2005. The ECB chose the larger rights fee over free-to-air access. This is periodically controversial as it limits casual viewer growth.