Sky Sports and Cricket South Africa Extend Broadcast Partnership for 2026/27 Tours

For the first time in seven years, millions of UK cricket fans will have a front-row seat to an England Test tour of South Africa, following a sweeping broadcast extension between Sky Sports and Cricket South Africa. The agreement, announced Wednesday, grants Sky exclusive television rights to the entire 2026/27 South African international home season, anchoring a winter schedule that features both the England men's marquee Christmas series and the incoming Australian tour.[1][2]

The television deal resolves lingering industry questions over the UK broadcast home for the highly anticipated series. The finalized partnership, negotiated by Cricket South Africa's international media rights partner IMG, ensures that Sky Sports will continue a three-decade tradition of airing every England men's Test series played in the country.[1][2]

Simultaneously, talkSPORT has secured the exclusive radio broadcast rights for the England men's tour. The network's talkSPORT 2 channel and its dedicated cricket YouTube platform will provide over 100 hours of live ball-by-ball coverage. The radio broadcast will be spearheaded by former England fast bowlers Steve Harmison, Alex Tudor, and Darren Gough, alongside broadcasters Neil Manthorp and Jarrod Kimber.[3]

The talkSPORT agreement revives the award-winning coverage team that documented England's 3-1 series victory in South Africa back in January 2020. "Nothing beats the energy of a Test tour, so we're excited to bring live ball-by-ball coverage of England's return to South Africa back to talkSPORT," said Liam Fisher, Head of talkSPORT. That previous tour remains etched in recent memory for Ben Stokes' dramatic heroics in front of a packed crowd at Newlands, a moment that earned the network the Sports Journalism Association Best Live Sport Award.[3]

The stakes for the upcoming winter tour are exceptionally high. England's three-Test series begins on December 17 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, moves to Centurion for the Boxing Day Test on December 26, and concludes with the traditional New Year's match in Cape Town starting January 3.[1][2]

The series marks a critical transition period for the national team. It will serve as Stephen Fleming's debut as the newly appointed head coach of the England men's Test side, taking the reins following the team's historic home whitewash of Pakistan.[1][2]

Following the red-ball fixtures, the two nations will contest a three-match One Day International series in January, with matches scheduled in Paarl and Bloemfontein. Those white-ball matches carry significant weight as England begins its preparation for the 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, which South Africa will co-host alongside Zimbabwe and Namibia next October.[1][2][3]

Beyond the England series, the Sky Sports extension encompasses a packed calendar of international fixtures. The coverage begins immediately with the Australia men's white-ball and Test tour starting on September 24 in Durban. The broadcast slate will then continue through April 2027, featuring incoming tours by the Bangladesh men's team, as well as the India and Australia women's squads.[1][2]

For Cricket South Africa, securing dedicated UK broadcast partners for both television and radio solidifies the commercial foundation of their home summer. With the broadcast logistics now settled, the focus shifts entirely to the pitch, where a new-look England Test squad will attempt to replicate their 2020 heroics against a formidable South African lineup.[4]