Free-to-air deal agreed to show Ashes

Cricket fans in Australia without satellite dishes will be able to watch the Ashes series this summer after all, thanks to a last-minute A$1.2million (approx. £500,000) deal with the SBS channel. The small multicultural broadcaster snatched the rights away from the ABC, which had been the front-runner to provide free-to-air coverage after the other main commercial channels had decided against showing the series.

Now SBS are expected to broadcast all five Tests of the series, which starts on July 21 at Lord's. Before this agreement was struck Fox Sports, the Rupert Murdoch-owned pay-TV sports channel, had the sole rights. The Australian newspaper claims the deal came after some "gentle prodding" from the Prime Minister, John Howard, and his Communications Minister Helen Coonan. The PM had a strong personal interest in the dealings, being a self-confessed "cricket tragic".

For the last few months ABC had been in secret negotiations with the ECB to try to secure the rights, but their first offer of A$500,000 (around £200,000) was rejected, as was a revised offer because ABC were not planning on broadcasting all the matches on their main free-to-air channel.

It was looking increasingly unlikely that a deal would be reached for those Australians without pay TV. Earlier reports had thrown the situation into some confusion after documents apparently came to light questioning whether the free-to-air channels - ABC, Channels 7, 9 and 10, and SBS - had been given the chance to bid for rights when they were originally put on the table back in 2001.

A senate committee was about to decide whether to release information into the public domain about the rights negotiations after Labor senator Stephen Conroy said there was written evidence that the free-to-air channels had not been involved with any discussions, as reported by the AAP news agency.

When Australia last toured England in 2001, Channel 7 had the rights to free-to-air coverage but still didn't show all the matches live, sometimes delaying their coverage to ensure maximum audiences. The timing of the cricket, which will be played during the Australian night, was one of the reasons given for the original lack of interest from the major channels, as they felt their investment would not be repaid with substantial audiences.

But there was anger in Australia at the decision by the nation's free-to-air broadcasters not to show the series, which is tipped to be the hardest-fought Ashes contest in 20 years. England's rise up the rankings to No. 2 has created the hope that this series will give the Australian team - and public - the competition they crave after watching their side crush all comers in recent years.