Yorkshire fear £1m-a-year loss over TV 'jewels'

Club chief executive Stewart Regan fears Yorkshire stand to lose up to 1m a year in income and could struggle to meet loan repayments if satellite broadcasters are prevented from bidding for the rights.

The county is challenging proposals outlined in a report compiled by former Football Association executive director David Davies which recommends that home Ashes matches be listed as part of sport's crown jewels and thus be made available only to free-to-air terrestrial broadcasters.

Sky currently own exclusive rights to home Tests between England and their old enemy Australia plus coverage of all domestic cricket after securing a near 260m package that the BBC and other terrestrial networks decided not to even challenge for. That deal was struck in 2008 and expires after the 2013 Ashes.

If the Davies Review – compiled by a panel of broadcasters, sports figures and academics including Eamonn Holmes, Colin Jackson and Dougie Donnelly – is approved the England and Wales Cricket Board forecast that the sport will lose 100m over a four-year period because the bidding levels will be significantly reduced.

Davies said in November 2009 that the review "unashamedly put the viewing public first" while the report's supporters also point to the fact that 7.4m people tuned in to watch the final Ashes Test at the Oval in 2005 when it was screened on Channel 4 compared to just 2m who watched the climax of the 2009 series on Sky.

Ben Bradshaw, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, has given cricket's governing bodies until Friday, March 5, to give their views on how the proposal will affect the game, after which he will make a decision that cricket chiefs fear could have catastrophic implications.

Yorkshire, backed by their 17 fellow counties and the ECB, have responded passionately to proposals they perceive could have damaging long-term effects not only on the county scene but also at grass-roots level.

Regan, who has enlisted the support of local MPs in an attempt to raise awareness of the county's concerns, said: "We have written to Mr Bradshaw to remind him of the impact it will have on the development of cricket and just how important broadcast income is to our sport.

"Sky has contributed to the growth of the sport and as a result there's been a lot more investment into cricket.

"As a club we could lose up to 1m a year. We receive 1.7m a year from the ECB so that loss would account for half of our income. There's no way we can sustain that.

"Such a loss could certainly have a big impact on our development plans. The Carnegie Pavilion is near completion and wouldn't be affected but it would jeopardise our ability to meet long-term financial commitments. Capital and interest repayments on loans would certainly be jeopardised.

"It would also slow down the club's plans to further develop the ground.

"The whole of cricket is getting behind this because it is such a major issue for the game.

"As a club we cannot afford to lose millions of pounds, certainly not over the next 10 years as we attempt to satisfy the staging agreement (which sees Headingley host Tests until 2019) with the ECB."

Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves added: "A competitive bidding process is essential for the viability and success of cricket in the United Kingdom.

"The future of one of this country's national sports is at risk, from the child looking for a bit of coaching through to the professional ranks, and I urge the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to consider the future of our sport very carefully."

Test cricket was removed from the list of protected events in 1998 with the last Ashes series broadcast on terrestrial television being the victory of Michael Vaughan's men in 2005.

One of the leading voices in favour of the Ashes returning to a wider audience is Selby MP John Grogan who chairs the parliamentary campaign for the contest to return to terrestrial television.

He said: "The ECB are dramatically overstating their case. With the current deal not expiring until 2013, all we are asking for is one home Ashes Test series to be broadcast on terrestrial television, and that would be in 2017.

"Sky are not going to walk away, they will still have 90 per cent of the product.

"There is the possibility that they could do a simul-cast as is happening with football's League Cup final being screened on Sky and BBC."

SKY HIGHS

Sky were only bidders for broadcasting rights in last round, agreeing a four-year deal worth around 260m encompassing all English cricket and running to end of 2013 Ashes.

Almost 80 per cent of ECB income is from broadcast rights, and 20 per cent of ECB's income goes on

grass-roots cricket.

Annual revenues for UK broadcasts have increased by 426 per cent from 15m in 1997 to 64m in 2010.

ECB forecast that the sport will lose 100m over four years if Ashes Test cricket is listed as a crown jewel.

That equates to roughly 3.3m for Yorkshire, or close to 1m a year.