Networks go cold on the Ashes

Australians planning to watch next year's Ashes series at home may have to fork out for pay television after the Seven and Nine networks said they were unlikely to cover the tour, The Age has reported.

David Hurley, a Nine spokesman said a final decision had not been made, but according to the newspaper it was unlikely to bid for the series, which clashes with winter football competitions and Wimbledon. Nine last broadcast the Ashes in 1997, when Australia won 3-2 and the coverage didn't begin until the second session.

Seven received heavy criticism for the way it screened the 2001 series and The Age reported a spokesman saying "the time zone and scheduling difficulties across Australia are significant". Ten, the third major network, presumably cannot program seven consecutive hours without an episode of The Simpsons.

With England finally in regular good form, the five-Test series shapes as a gripping contest that will only be available on Fox Sports. James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said it would be disappointing if it was not available on free-to-air television, but there was little they could do. "We don't have ownership of the rights and ultimately it is the England and Wales Cricket Board who are trying to sell these rights for the best price," he told ABC Online.