THE ENGLAND and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is close to finalising a deal with new Hundred investors that will allow it to retain control of selling domestic television rights while receiving the full £520 million valuation for the eight franchises.
The exclusivity period agreed after January’s Hundred auction was extended last month, and following further negotiations, parties involved now expect a redrafted participation agreement to be signed by the end of April, according to The Guardian.
The new part-owners of London Spirit, a consortium of technology executives under Silicon Valley Cricket Investor Holdings, and Oval Invincibles, owned by Reliance Industries, had raised concerns over TV rights, sponsorship, and voting rights on the new Hundred committee, which will oversee the tournament from next season.
A compromise has been reached where the ECB will retain control of all domestic TV rights, including the Hundred.
The current deal with Sky Sports, worth £220 million annually, begins this summer. Franchise owners will be responsible for overseas rights sales.
Investors had sought to sell Hundred rights separately, but the ECB will retain that authority, keeping the tournament within the domestic TV package for the 2029–2032 cycle. The ECB has not ruled out selling the competition separately in future.
Franchise owners will now have greater autonomy over sponsorships, as a clause allowing the ECB to secure five central deals has been removed. They will also receive enhanced voting rights.
The franchise valuations remain unchanged, securing £520 million, with £52 million earmarked for recreational cricket and the rest for the professional game, The Guardian reported.
The participation agreement also includes the schedule, playing conditions, and team count.
While a shift to a Twenty20 format is expected in 2029, this was not discussed. Any format or expansion changes will be decided by the Hundred committee.
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.