Sport and the media have always been intertwined, and the beauty of their relationship is that one does not work as well without the other. With that in mind, no sport has embraced the advancements in technology and the media like cricket. The introduction of T20 cricket was the epitome of the modernization that sport and the media had experienced, with matches becoming much more of an event. What began as an innocent ploy by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to engage more spectators, quickly became a global phenomenon, with rights to broadcast franchise tournaments sold for over a billion dollars. The impact that the media has had on cricket cannot be underestimated, from the rules of the game legitimately being changed as a result of new and improved software, to viewers watching at home assuming the role of producers as their social media posts are displayed on screen by expert pundits.

Certainly, in the last decade, social media has become an ever-present in cricket, sport, and life in general. Previously, communication was one-directional and only media companies and broadcasters were able push out their content. The ECB felt that what was supposed to be the format to drive cricket’s viewership and interest, T20 cricket, was not achieving that goal and so decided to introduce The Hundred. Using a now two-way communication format through social media, they set out to establish a younger and diverse audience of people watching cricket, while attempting to focus more on the experience of spectators rather than the results of the tournament themselves. The media’s role during its inaugural season was one of vital importance, ensuring the sport was no longer stuck on subscription TV and allowing a once disinterested audience access to something they may have felt was not designed for them.