After England kept the Ashes alive with a thrilling three-wicket win in the third Test at Headingley, they have the chance to set up a decider if they can also win the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
And should they emerge victorious in Manchester and level the series at 2-2, the final Test at the Oval could be shown on free-to-air TV. The legendary 2005 Ashes was broadcast on Channel 4 and attracted record viewers, with 7.4m watching the fifth day of the last Test as England regained the Ashes for the first time since the 1986-87 series.
However, Sky Sports acquired exclusive rights to show UK Tests immediately after the 2005 Ashes and live Test cricket has only been aired once on terrestrial TV since. That came in 2021, when Channel 4 won the rights to show England's Test tour of India.
That attracted a peak audience of 1.1m shortly before the close of play on day one of the first Test. Sky Sports also allowed Channel 4 to show both of England's World Cup wins live, with the 2019 50-over World Cup final attracting 4.5m viewers and the 2022 T20 World Cup final attracting 1.09m.
And the i report that a 'similar deal could be struck' if England can beat Australia at Old Trafford. There has been huge interest in the Ashes this summer off the back of England's stunning turnaround under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, with their new 'Bazball' approach helping draw massive audiences for Sky.
The third Test was the most-viewed one Sky have ever aired, averaging 965,000 viewers over the course of the match and breaking a record set by the first Test earlier this month.
The average viewership across all three Tests, 878,000, is up 45% when compared to the last home Ashes series in 2019 and the final day at Headingley peaked at 2.05m viewers despite competition from the British Grand Prix and Wimbledon.
As a result, the Oval Test could command even more viewers than the 2019 World Cup final if aired on terrestrial TV. And it is a move that would go down well with Stokes and co., with the skipper stating before the series began how important it was that England entertain and 'inspire the next generation of players.
"I am clear on what we're trying to do here, what's at stake, and it's bigger than just myself and my own ambitions on the field," he wrote in article for the Players' Tribune. "It's about inspiring the next generation of players.
"We want everyone involved to enjoy themselves, players and fans. That is top of our ethos. Yes, cricket is a sport and it's serious and there's a lot of hard work and detail that goes into it, but it's also entertainment."
