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India vs England series undergoes late broadcast change - Here's how you can watch IND vs ENG Tests after revised rights
JioHotstar received the digital streaming rights for India's five-match tour of England in June-August, while Sony will retain terrestrial television rights.
In a first-of-its-kind deal in Indian cricket telecasting, the two largest broadcasters have reached a deal to share the rights for India’s upcoming five-match Test series in England. While Sony Entertainment Network owns the rights to broadcast matches being played in England through to 2031, the digital streaming rights for this marquee series have been sub-licensed to JioHotstar, who will now broadcast the five-match Test series on their streaming platform.
JioHotstar, which also has the broadcasting rights for the Indian national team’s home assignments, ICC tournaments, and the ongoing IPL, has pulled off a coup by gaining these rights and now dominates Indian cricket airwaves after earlier agreeing a deal for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia as well.
Nevertheless, Sony retained the linear broadcasting rights, meaning the television broadcast will remain in the Sony Sports suite. Sony re-extended the rights to broadcast English cricket last year for eight years, but as per the report, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) facilitated a deal, with an agreement being reached to hold the digital broadcast on JioHotstar’s combined platform instead.
To reiterate, Sony Sports will maintain broadcasting rights on television, but the Test series will be broadcast on JioHotstar on digital streaming platforms, including mobile phones and smart TVs.
“This collaboration is a win-win for all stakeholders involved - especially Indian Cricket fans - and serves the broader sporting landscape. The combination of JioHostar's deep digital footprint with SPNI's broadcast network will universalise access to India's tours of England,” Sanjog Gupta, CEO – Sports and Live experiences, JioStar said in an official statement.
“As the habitual destination for Cricket viewing, JioHotstar is committed to offering millions of fans - inclusive, intuitive, interactive and immersive viewing experiences. We will continue to leverage the power of our story-telling, consumer-focussed product features and connectivity to unlock infinite possibilities of serving fans on our platforms,” he added.
Reliance Jio and Star Sports merger in 2025
Reliance Jio and Star Sports merged earlier this year in a landmark deal that created a new JioHotstar platform. This platform has broadcasted the WPL, the ICC Champions Trophy, and most recently, the IPL. It also retains the hosting rights for the English Premier League, while Sony Sports has been the destination for European Champions League football, ATP tennis, and the UFC.
The two parties are expected to release a statement announcing this deal later today, with the partnership expected to extend to the white-ball series being played in England in 2026. The deal was in the works for over a month, but reached a conclusion in the past 24 hours.
India’s tour of England begins with a series of tour games, but the series proper will begin on June 20 at Headingley in Leeds. This will be the first of five matches for the Pataudi Trophy, currently held by India after their dominating 4-1 series win at home in early 2024.
