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- English county makes games available for fans worldwide
- Kia Oval could operate at reduced capacity this season
Surrey County Cricket Club (CCC) has struck a deal with Facebook that will see games from the Kia Oval this season be broadcast live on the social media giant’s Watch streaming platform.
Fans across the globe will now be able to tune in live, for free, to watch the English county side compete in the Bob Willis Trophy – the one off first-class competition created for the shortened English season – and the Vitality Blast, via the Surrey CCC Facebook page.
The first game to be broadcast will be the annual London Cup, a Twenty20 between Surrey Women and Middlesex Women on 22nd July. It will be the first domestic cricket match to be played in the UK since the start of lockdown in March.
Following that, Surrey’s men will play a pre-season friendly match with Middlesex on 26th and 27th July, with action in the Bob Willis Trophy kicking off on Saturday, 1st August. Further fixture details are due to be released by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on 24th July.
Surrey remain optimistic of allowing some fans into the Kia Oval later this season and the pre-season friendly has been named by the UK government – alongside Glorious Goodwood and the World Snooker Championship – as one of the pilot events for the return of spectators to elite sports venues.
But, with most supporters set to be shut out of the ground, the club will also be using interactive production techniques to allow fans to participate in the broadcasts at home through chat rooms and social media.
“County cricket has always had a large and dedicated online following and we’re excited to be taking this to the next level,” said Jon Surtees, head of communications at Surrey CCC.
“We have a highly engaged community of fans on Facebook, and although we’re only able to welcome a small amount of them back to the Kia Oval for now, hopefully this coverage will be the next best thing – allowing fans from to follow Surrey’s pursuit of the Bob Willis Trophy and Vitality Blast, and engage with other fans from around the world.”
Richard Gould, chief executive of Surrey CCC, added: “Throughout our 175-year history, Surrey have frequently enjoyed a forward-thinking reputation. This partnership exemplifies that and will allow us to bring quality coverage of world-class cricket, featuring some of the biggest names in the game, to our fans around the world.”
The tie-up marks another major move into cricket for Facebook. Last September, the International Cricket Council (ICC) struck a deal for the company to become the exclusive digital content rights partner for ICC global events in the Indian sub-continent through to 2023.
Surrey County Cricket Club (CCC) has struck a deal with Facebook that will see games from the Kia Oval this season be broadcast live on the social media giant’s Watch streaming platform.
Fans across the globe will now be able to tune in live, for free, to watch the English county side compete in the Bob Willis Trophy – the one off first-class competition created for the shortened English season – and the Vitality Blast, via the Surrey CCC Facebook page.
The first game to be broadcast will be the annual London Cup, a Twenty20 between Surrey Women and Middlesex Women on 22nd July. It will be the first domestic cricket match to be played in the UK since the start of lockdown in March.
Following that, Surrey’s men will play a pre-season friendly match with Middlesex on 26th and 27th July, with action in the Bob Willis Trophy kicking off on Saturday, 1st August. Further fixture details are due to be released by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on 24th July.
Surrey remain optimistic of allowing some fans into the Kia Oval later this season and the pre-season friendly has been named by the UK government – alongside Glorious Goodwood and the World Snooker Championship – as one of the pilot events for the return of spectators to elite sports venues.
But with most supporters set to be shut out of the ground, the club will also be using interactive production techniques to allow fans to participate in the broadcasts at home through chat rooms and social media.
“County cricket has always had a large and dedicated online following and we’re excited to be taking this to the next level,” said Jon Surtees, head of communications at Surrey CCC.
“We have a highly engaged community of fans on Facebook, and although we’re only able to welcome a small amount of them back to the Kia Oval for now, hopefully this coverage will be the next best thing – allowing fans from to follow Surrey’s pursuit of the Bob Willis Trophy and Vitality Blast, and engage with other fans from around the world.”
Richard Gould, chief executive of Surrey CCC, added: “Throughout our 175-year history, Surrey have frequently enjoyed a forward-thinking reputation. This partnership exemplifies that and will allow us to bring quality coverage of world-class cricket, featuring some of the biggest names in the game, to our fans around the world.”
The tie-up marks another major move into cricket for Facebook. Last September, the International Cricket Council (ICC) struck a deal for the company to become the exclusive digital content rights partner for ICC global events in the Indian sub-continent through to 2023.
