Discovery considers Ashes rights to boost discovery+

Discovery is reportedly eyeing a play for rights to the upcoming Ashes cricket series from Australia.

The annual competition between England and Australia is one of cricket’s marquee events. BT most recently showed the Australian-staged ashes in 2017/18 while Sky has a deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board for England’s home matches until 2024.

However, according to The Daily Telegraph, Discovery is considering bidding on the rights in an effort to boost its recently launched streaming service discovery+ which will gain a more sporting spotlight this summer with the upcoming Olympic games.

The Cricket Australia package will be worth in excess of £50 million. It would cover the men’s and women’s Ashes, the men’s ODI and Twenty20 series in 2022, Australia’s home internationals, and the Big Bash League.

The report notes that while it has spent several years boosting its sports offering, Amazon is not considering adding the Ashes to its portfolio.

While Discovery is looking to shake up the status quo, the report says that BT and Sky are the frontrunners to secure the rights package.