BT Sport has won the rights to show the 2017/2018 away Ashes series after striking a £80m deal with Cricket Australia in what is a huge coup for the broadcaster.

The move of the Ashes from Sky Sports will boost BT Sport’s cricket offering up to 210 hours of cricket with the deal encompassing Australia’s entire international season as well as the KFC Big Bash up until 2021.

Managing Director of BT TV and BT Sport Delia Bushell said that they were delighted with the deal as the Australian cricket season is very popular television for those in the UK.

BT Sport is delighted to be adding international cricket to its line-up, and to be the new home of the next Ashes tour in Australia. We will show live domestic games featuring the best players in the world during the Big Bash League and all Australian home matches for the next five years.

Cricket Australia’s Executive General Manager of Media, Communications & Marketing, Ben Amarfio suggested that BT’s desire to become one of the biggest sports broadcasters in the UK was a factor in the decision.

BT Sport put forward a highly compelling bid for the rights to broadcast cricket from Australia to audiences throughout the United Kingdom. They are uniquely placed to become one of the UK’s largest sports channels and we think cricket can provide the content and opportunities to help them do just that.

Winning the rights to show the Ashes is the next phase of a significant campaign by BT to increase their sports offering after a successful bid to exclusively show the European Champions League Football.