You can watch this weekend’s Cricket World Cup final for free on Channel 4
What do you mean, there’s a Cricket World Cup going on right now? Wait, it’s taking place in the UK? And England have reached the final!?
All silliness aside, the 2019 Cricket World Cup has, rather tragically, passed under the radar. Sky has exclusive rights to live coverage in the UK, and Channel 4’s highlights have generally been on off-puttingly late in the evenings.
This has reportedly translated to extremely low viewing figures. Average viewing figures for England games were just 550,000 earlier on in the competition. Audiences certainly would have grown as the tournament entered its latter stages, but the general feeling is that the World Cup has passed pretty much everyone but keen cricket fans by.
Fortunately, Sky has struck up a deal with Channel 4, which means that this weekend’s ICC Cricket World Cup final (England vs New Zealand at Lord’s, if you weren’t already aware) will be shown for free on terrestrial TV. For the majority of people who decide to tune in, the final will be the first game they’ve actually seen.
“England in the final on home soil is a huge moment for sport in this country and we are proud to be the host broadcaster,” said Sky UK and Ireland chief executive, Stephen van Rooyen.
“Thanks to our strong relationship with Channel 4, we are partnering to make the game available to everyone, so the whole country can get behind England, and be part of a special national sporting event.”
Funnily enough, Channel 4 and Sky struck up a similar deal that means the British Grand Prix will also be free to tune into this weekend.
If you’re a Sky subscriber, you can tune in – in 4K, no less – on Sky Sports Main Event or Sky Sports Cricket from 9am BST on Sunday. You can also tune in using the Sky Go mobile app, at no additional charge. Here are some quick-links to help you:
- Download now: Sky Go app for iOS
- Download now: Sky Go app for Android
If you’re not a Sky subscriber, you can tune in for free on Channel 4 from 9am, but coverage will jump between Channel 4 and More4. You can also keep up with the action online through the All 4 website, and on your mobile with the All 4 app for both iOS and Android. Here are some more quick-links to help you:
- Watch: Channel 4 online
- Download now: All 4 app for Android
- Download now: All 4 app for iOS
If you’re going to be abroad on Sunday, and aren’t sure if you’ll be able to access Sky Go or All 4, a common workaround is to use a VPN – and our guide to the best VPNs is the obvious place to get started choosing the one that’s right for you.
We’ve rounded up three of the best VPNs for streaming below: