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Since 1998, it has sold its sports output as one package, 'Sport on 4', encompassing cricket, horse-racing and World Rally Championship, as well as magazine programmes such as Transworld Sport and Football Italia.

This year the broadcaster has decided to offer the cricket coverage as a separate £1.5m bundle, covering all Test cricket over the season, including three Sri Lankan matches and four Indian tests.

Sponsorship for its remaining combined sports package will still be available for up to £5m annually.

The sports strand has been up for grabs since the demise of StepStone in the UK at the end of last year. The online recruitment agency put itself into liquidation and was forced to withdraw its year-long, £4m sponsorship just seven months into the deal.

StepStone had sponsored the sports programming since May 2000, and renewed it for a second year in May 2001.

Volkswagen was the first sponsor of the network's sports output, with a two-year deal clinched in March 1998. At the time, it was a trailblazing package, the first time a broadcaster had grouped diverse programmes under one sponsorship banner.