Why Australia, South Africa cricket boards are struggling to find broadcast partners in England?

Cricket is experiencing a global boom like never before. Just recently, Italy of all nations appeared in the T20 World Cup which has expanded to 20 teams with every side capable of defeating the other. Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises are fetching investors from all around the world who are ready to pay enormous amounts for these teams.

Amid this bloom, there is also some gloom for the game. The birthplace of cricket, the United Kingdom, is experiencing a decline in interest in the sport. The biggest indication of this is the total absence of broadcasters for a marquee away Test series for England in South Africa around Christmas later this year.

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Cricket South Africa (CSA) has not yet been able to sell the UK television rights deal in England after Sky Sports declined to renew its long-standing contract with the South African board.

Why broadcasters don't want marquee England Test series?

Test cricket is sacrosanct in England. This is the place where the sport was developed and for a long time, the country was the epicenter of global cricket. It was England's most loved sport till mid-20th century when football took over and established itself as the premier sport in the country. Despite loss in popularity, cricket matches, especially Test cricket, still fills up stadiums all around the UK.

However, cricket has not been able to collect fans from the newer generations and that has sent the game further down in the pecking order on the island. This loss in popularity is now getting reflected in the poor interest in broadcast rights.

The consistent poor performances of the English Test team, which is the most followed format in the country, could also be one of the reasons behind fans giving up on the sport.

CSA has failed to sell the rights for the three-match Test and three-match ODI series. Cricket Australia too has not found a buyer for its next domestic season which will also include a white-ball series against England, according to the Guardian.

Sky Sports, which usually broadcasts cricket in England, has increasingly moved away from covering England's away bilateral tours in recent years. While Sky's cricket portfolio has seen a sharp decline, it is spending big on other sports like Darts. It recently bought the rights for the PDC World Darts Championship, costing £25 million ($3.3 million) a year. This tournament clashes with the South Africa series and the decisions taken by Sky show where the interest of English public lies.

Guardian also states that since Sky already has a large inventory of Premier League and EFL games, it is also not actively searching for additional sports, leaving cricket in lurch.

TNT Sports, which has filled in for Sky for England's overseas tours, is also reportedly hesitant to invest in the South Africa series due to budget pressures.

While CSA and CA are both expected to find a broadcasting partner closer to the series, the fact that they are struggling to sell these marquee series shows that cricket indeed is in a precarious position in England.