Richard Thompson printed an be offering has been made for the Hundred however mentioned the England and Wales Cricket Board must obtain “a few billion” to imagine promoting its flagship pageant.
Reports ultimate month instructed non-public fairness corporate Bridgepoint Group had made a £400m be offering for 75% of the match. However, the ECB chair believes there’s considerably extra worth within the pageant and, when requested a couple of possible worth, Thompson mentioned: “To promote the summer season would wish to be an strange sum of money.
“If the IPL [Indian Premier League] is price one thousand million then we might want somewhat a couple of billion to promote the summer season. We have won an be offering, and I will’t touch upon the true be offering. I’d now not be stunned if there are different provides. There’s a feeding frenzy in broadcasting rights of tournaments at the present time, in order that fact of extra pastime within the recreation is sure to materialise.
“I’m decided we aren’t going to be opportunistic about this, we are going to be strategic. The match’s simplest two years previous. Clearly there is a worth in it, and we anticipated there to be pastime. Let’s see how issues play out.
The Hundred was once first introduced in 2021 after being postponed for a 12 months because of the coronavirus pandemic, with 8 new city-based franchises competing towards every different throughout July and August.
The match has been broadcast at the BBC and Sky Sports, and all of the fits within the inaugural match had been double-headers with males’s and ladies’s fits performed at the similar day.
It was once designed to draw a brand new target audience to cricket, with give a boost to and the selection of beginner gamers dwindling up and down the rustic. But it’s been arguable with critics blaming the Hundred for taking cash out of the county recreation.
Thompson says a call on a sale remains to be some distance off and he additionally has some doubts. “The ECB would need to think very long and hard if we were to sell four or five weeks of the English summer to a third party,” he mentioned.
“We perceive there is worth within the match and groups, there is a whole lot of different untapped worth within the recreation that is going past the Hundred as smartly. We mustn’t fixate on something. What we may not do is be opportunistic. We’ll suppose issues via, and remember that we may not promote the sport quick.
“Lucknow Super Giants, one workforce within the IPL, bought for one thousand million. To set up One workforce. That will have to determine a benchmark of worth. I feel now we have were given a protracted solution to pass prior to we do one thing. If provides need to be made, they’ll be made.”
