Five responded to Ofcom's consultation on cricket rights, supporting Sky's live rights and its own rights to broadcast Test highlights.
"Five is responding to this consultation as it wishes to support Sky's application. We are delighted to have acquired the rights to show highlights of home Test cricket from 2006 to 2009, and therefore have a clear interest in seeing Sky's application for the live rights succeed," Five said in its submission.
Sky initially won the cricket rights with a £220m deal after outbidding terrestrial rivals, Channel 4 and the BBC. Five managed to claim the highlights package for Test matches after it outbid Channel 4, which bid jointly with Sky.
Under the Broadcasting Act 1998, highlights of Group-B listed events, such as cricket, must be offered to broadcasters on a channel that reaches 95% of the population.
Broadcasters were free to lodge a complaint to Ofcom over Sky's exclusive package and Five's highlights deal, because Five does not have full national free-to-air coverage across the UK, giving it less than the 95% that is required by the act.
If Ofcom upheld any complaint, the deal could have be scuppered.
Several individuals did write to the media watchdog to complain that live cricket would not be available on terrestrial television, although Ofcom considered this a matter for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, because it decided in 1998 to put cricket in the Group-B list of events.
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