Your definitive guide to watching The Ashes 2023 on TV and live stream this summer.

By Michael Potts

Published: Thursday, 22 June 2023 at 12:00 am


The Ashes is off to a tantalising start with Australia drawing first blood against an England team that will be galvanised after dictating much of the first Test.

Australian captain Pat Cummins secured the two-wicket victory with a bold batting display on Day 5, but England will take plenty of heart from the showdown as they prepare for the second Test.

Captain Ben Stokes will lead his men into battle at Lord’s from the 28th June onwards and will not relent in his aggressive, unpredictable attitude to the game as England seek to level the series.

Fans have savoured the first taste of Ashes cricket this summer and will no doubt return for more given the excitement of the first Test. Should England pick up a Lord’s victory, expect interest to snowball across the country.

Sky Sports boast exclusive live coverage of all The Ashes drama across the five-Test series, while BBC will also serve up healthy portions of the action – so everyone can keep track of England’s exploits.

RadioTimes.com brings you a comprehensive round-up of how to watch The Ashes on TV, including the first Test schedule.

More from The Ashes: Ashes radio coverage | Ashes schedule | Ashes squads | Ashes predictions | Ashes highlights | Sky Sports Ashes commentators | Test Match Special Ashes commentators

How to watch The Ashes on TV

You can watch The Ashes live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event.

You can upgrade to the Sky Sports Cricket channel from just £15 per month as part of a limited time deal or pick up the complete sports package from just £24 per month.

Live stream The Ashes online

Sky Sports customers can live stream The Ashes via the Sky Go app on a variety of devices including most smartphones and tablets as part of their subscription.

You can also watch The Ashes via NOW without signing up to a contract.

NOW can be streamed through a computer or apps found on most smart TVs, phones and consoles. NOW is also available via BT Sport.

Watching cricket improves productivity at work

Ahead of the first day of The Ashes 2023, Sky Sports has proven that having the cricket on while working actually improves productivity.

The new research, undertaken by behavioural science experts with over 1,000 cricket fans across the UK, reveals that the disruption caused by switching from work to check the score, known as “context switching”, means that it is actually more productive to have the match on while working.

More than half (52%) of respondents say they plan to follow The Ashes via live updates and every time a cricket fan context switches to another tab or app, reports suggest it can take nine and a half minutes for them to get back to a productive workflow, with further research suggesting that it can take up to 23 minutes to return to your original task.

On average, cricket fans check the score 10 times a day (3.5 minutes per time), with over 18% reporting to check multiple times an hour. This means that fans spend on average 30 minutes checking the score per day.

When combined with the impact of ‘context switching’, it means a whopping 90 minutes to two hours productive work time could be saved per fan per day by allowing them to watch live. This amounts to almost an entire session of a Test match each day, and up to 50 hours across the series!

Office attendance is also set to reduce by 13% during Ashes Tests, including a 30% reduction in those who go in every day. But according to the research, employers who let their teams watch the Ashes can expect to see no drop at all, with attendances set to stay at usual levels.  

The Ashes schedule 2023

1st Test: England v Australia

Date: Friday 16th – Tuesday 20th June

Venue: Edgbaston

Time: 11am

2nd Test: England v Australia

Date: Wednesday 28th June – Sunday 2nd July

Venue: Lord’s

Time: 11am

3rd Test: England v Australia

Date: Thursday 6th – Monday 10th July

Venue: Headingley

Time: 11am

4th Test: England v Australia

Date: Wednesday 19th – Sunday 23rd July

Venue: Old Trafford

Time: 11am

5th Test: England v Australia

Date: Thursday 27th – Monday 31st July

Venue: The Oval

Time: 11am

Read more: Best cricket players in the world 2023 | Best cricket players of all time | Highest wicket takers in Ashes history | Highest run scorers in Ashes history

The Ashes highlights

BBC will broadcast Today at the Test on BBC Two, and on BBC iPlayer after the close of play each evening.

The hour-long highlights shows will be presented by Isa Guha and will take you through all of the top moments throughout the day’s play.

Sky Sports will also show regular highlights and replays across their platforms throughout the series.

Listen to The Ashes on the radio

BBC Test Match Special has the rights to broadcast ball-by-ball commentary of The Ashes, with the team set to bring full coverage throughout every day of action.

Broadcasts will be aired on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and via their online player with build-up of each match starting prior to the time listed above.

If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Sport hub for all the latest news.

Take part in the Screen Test, a project from Radio Times and the Universities of Sussex and Brighton, to explore the role of television and audio in our lives.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.