England Ashes win will trigger major windfall for ECB, says Nielsen Sports
England cricket chiefs can expect a major windfall if Bazball sweeps the men’s team to a first Ashes series victory in Australia for more than a decade.
The England Wales Cricket Board is already riding high from reporting record turnover last year and has since boosted the coffers further by signing up Toyota as principal commercial partner.
The team led by head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes have also seen a surge in support since they initiated their Bazball revolution in 2022.
And that momentum is only set to increase if they can justify pre-series optimism and end a 15-year wait to reclaim the Ashes on Australian soil over the coming weeks.
“The fact that McCullum and Stokes have signed contracts through to the next Ashes in 2027 is significant for the ECB, who can expect major uplifts on commercial deals negotiated in this period,” said Andrew Milnes of leading industry analysts Nielsen Sports.
“An Ashes victory would only accelerate commercial appetite that has helped secure new partners and sponsors such as Toyota, major investment into The Hundred, and increasing media rights values.”
Bazball boosts England fanbase by a third
Since McCullum was appointed three and a half years ago and cast of England’s shackles, the team’s fanbase has grown by almost a third, according to research by Nielsen Sports.
They now boast support from 10.9m fans in the UK, 23 per cent of the population – behind only the England men’s footballers (17m/36 per cent) and their rugby counterparts (11.8m/25 per cent).
That has helped the ECB grow its revenue to a record £336m in 2023-24, driven by a £1.1bn domestic media rights deal with Sky Sports and the BBC, and attract around £500m of outside investment in The Hundred earlier this year.
“This winter’s Ashes are eagerly anticipated by millions of followers in the UK, and it will no doubt be the most engaged away series when measured across traditional, digital, and social media,” added Milnes, Nielsen’s market leader for UK and Ireland.
“Our latest research shows the England Men’s cricket team has 10.9m fans in the UK, a figure that has increased a remarkable 27 per cent since Brendon McCullum became the coach in 2022.
“This dramatic rise proves the impact and popularity of the ‘Bazball’ approach of cricket on the general public.”
Patriotic punters have flocked to back England in the first Test in Perth, which starts tonight, although Australian remain favourites to prevail in the five-match series.