The 2025/26 men’s Ashes has ended: the fifth Test finished on January 8, 2026. There is no live match to stream now, but the original coverage was Channel Seven and 7plus in Australia, TNT Sports and discovery+ in the UK, Willow in the US and Canada, and different rights-holders elsewhere. Use the schedule below for the historical start times, then check official highlights, audio and replay catalogues rather than looking for a live global stream.
Status: The men’s 2025/26 Ashes is over. The fifth and final Test finished on January 8, 2026, so there is no live Ashes match to stream on August 12, 2026. The information below records the original TV coverage and start times, then explains the legitimate ways to find highlights, archived audio and future cricket coverage.
Where the 2025/26 Ashes was shown
Rights were territory-specific. There was no single official service that carried the series worldwide, and a subscription that worked in one country did not automatically provide access elsewhere.
| Location | Original live TV or streaming coverage | Free legal option |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Channel Seven, 7mate, 7plus Sport, Foxtel and Kayo Sports | Channel Seven and 7plus were the principal free-to-air routes in Australia. |
| United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man and Channel Islands | TNT Sports carried every ball, with streaming through discovery+. Subscriptions were also available through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky and Virgin Media. | BBC Test Match Special audio, plus BBC clips and highlights. BBC audio was not a free live-video replacement for TNT Sports. |
| United States and Canada | Willow by Cricbuzz | No official free worldwide full-match video stream was identified. Check Willow or an authorised provider for current archive availability. |
| India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka | JioStar, formerly Disney Star | Availability depended on the local JioStar service and territory. The rights listing does not establish one identical app or channel for every country. |
| New Zealand | Sky NZ | No free full live-video option was identified in the official territory listing. |
| Pacific island markets | Pacific Aus TV in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu | Check Pacific Aus TV for any current archive or highlights offering. |
| Several Asian markets | Cricbuzz in markets including the Gulf, Southeast Asia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines | Check the local listing; rights and availability varied by country. |
| Caribbean | Rush Sports in territories including Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and the Bahamas | Check the local Rush Sports listing for archived material. |
| Much of Africa | SuperSport in South Africa and many sub-Saharan African territories | Check the local SuperSport service for archive access. |
| Much of Europe | YuppTV in a broad group of countries including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries and the Balkans | Check the country-specific YuppTV listing. |
The territory map came from Cricket Australia’s global broadcast guide. Broadcasters can change between events, and even a named service may have different availability inside a territory, so verify the match or archive listing before paying.
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The 2025/26 Ashes schedule and start times
These are the original first-ball times. Australian times are the most useful reference for the venues; the UK column reproduces the start times listed in ECB or BBC guides. The Perth entry contained a ten-minute discrepancy: Cricket Australia’s match-specific preview gave the more precise 10:20 a.m. local start, while series guides listed 2:30 a.m. UK time.
| Test | Venue and dates in Australia | Australian first ball | UK guide listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Test | Perth Stadium November 21–25, 2025 |
10:20 a.m. local Perth time 1:20 p.m. AEDT 2:20 a.m. GMT |
2:30 a.m. UK time |
| Second Test, day-night | The Gabba, Brisbane December 4–8, 2025 |
3:00 p.m. AEDT | 3:40 a.m. UK time |
| Third Test | Adelaide Oval December 17–21, 2025 |
10:30 a.m. AEDT | Midnight UK time |
| Fourth Test | Melbourne Cricket Ground December 26–30, 2025 |
10:30 a.m. AEDT | 11:30 p.m. UK time on December 25 |
| Fifth Test | Sydney Cricket Ground January 4–8, 2026 |
10:30 a.m. AEDT | 11:30 p.m. GMT on Saturday, January 3 |
Australia is ahead of the UK, so several eastern-venue starts appeared on the previous calendar date in UK listings. For the opener, use the match-specific Cricket Australia preview rather than trying to reconcile the ten-minute difference by time-zone conversion.
What was free legally?
Australia: Seven and 7plus
In Australia, Channel Seven and 7plus were the main free live-video options. Seven’s coverage material also referred to Seven, 7mate and 7plus Sport. This was a domestic Australian offering; 7plus should not be treated as a service available internationally.
UK: free BBC audio, clips and highlights
BBC Test Match Special provided ball-by-ball radio commentary through BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website and app for UK users. That made the BBC a useful free way to follow the action, but it did not replace TNT Sports for live video.
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BBC Sport also provided in-play clips, daily highlights and iPlayer highlights during the series. The ECB offered daily highlights through ECB.co.uk and the England Cricket app. Because the series has ended, the exact archive window and geographic availability should be checked on the relevant official service.
Australia and international audio
Cricket Australia’s match information listed ABC Radio, Triple M, SEN Radio and the BBC among the audio providers. Cricket Radio in the CA Live app offered standard and real-time streams. These references describe the series coverage; they do not guarantee that every live feed remains available after the final Test.
What was not available
No official source reviewed for this guide verified a free, full live-video stream available worldwide. Avoid pirate streams, unofficial mirror sites and generic “free streaming” pages. They can be illegal, unstable or unsafe, and they are especially misleading now that the event is no longer live. A VPN should not be used to circumvent a broadcaster’s territorial rights.
Watching from the United States or Canada
For the United States and Canada, the listed rights-holder was Willow by Cricbuzz. Willow’s service information describes availability in those two countries, with live access dependent on regional rights. That made Willow the relevant North American destination during the Ashes, but it does not mean that every future Ashes series will automatically be carried there.
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For readers looking for future cricket rather than a live 2025/26 Ashes match, Willow’s service page researched on August 12, 2026 listed US plans at $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year. Canadian prices were listed at CAD 8.99 per month or CAD 79.99 per year. These are service-page figures at the time of research, not historical Ashes prices and not a promise of future pricing or rights.
Willow also listed distribution through providers including DISH, Sling, Verizon Fios, Spectrum, Xfinity, Optimum, DIRECTV, DIRECTV Stream, Fubo and YouTube TV. Package inclusion varies, so check the provider’s current channel and sports package before subscribing. A provider listing does not by itself confirm access to an archived Ashes match.
Supported devices
Willow supports web browsers and mobile devices, as well as Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Chromecast, Google TV and Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick. If a television does not have a compatible app, an optional Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen) can provide a supported Fire TV platform. It is not required for Willow, and buying the device does not include a Willow subscription.
Amazon’s device documentation also lists newer Fire TV models, including Fire TV Stick 4K Plus (2025), Fire TV Stick 4K Select (2025) and Fire TV Stick HD (2026). Confirm the exact model and app compatibility before buying, particularly if the television already supports Roku, Apple TV, Android TV or a native smart-TV app.
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- Confirm the event status. A missing live Ashes feed may simply mean that the series has ended, not that the app is broken.
- Check Willow’s live schedule or archive listing. Rights to live events and replays are separate and can expire.
- Confirm your country and account region. Willow’s listed service area is the United States and Canada.
- Turn off VPNs and proxies. Willow specifically advises disconnecting them when diagnosing regional playback. This is a troubleshooting step, not a way to bypass rights restrictions.
- Update the app and check the device region. An outdated app or incorrectly configured region can prevent playback.
- Test the network and browser settings. Check the connection and temporarily review ad-blocking settings if the player will not load.
- Try another supported device. Comparing web playback with a supported TV or mobile app can show whether the problem is account-, browser- or device-specific.
How to find highlights and replays now
Since the live series is finished, use this order of attack:
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- Start with official highlights. Check the ECB website and England Cricket app for Ashes packages, and BBC Sport or BBC iPlayer for clips and highlights where they remain available in the UK.
- Check the official broadcaster in your territory. TNT Sports, Willow, Sky NZ, SuperSport, YuppTV, JioStar, Rush Sports and other rights-holders may have different archive policies from their live-event policies.
- Look for official audio. BBC Sounds, BBC Sport and Cricket Australia’s CA Live ecosystem were among the named audio destinations during the series. Archived commentary may be more durable than a live video feed, but availability can still be regional or time-limited.
- Do not assume a subscription includes the complete series. Before paying, look specifically for the 2025/26 Ashes archive, not just a general cricket catalogue or a future live schedule.
There is an important difference between a highlight package, a radio replay and a complete Test replay. Official coverage confirmed highlights and audio destinations, but it did not establish that full-match video replays remain freely available worldwide. If a full replay matters, the local rights-holder’s own archive listing is the deciding evidence.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What “watch anywhere” really means
You can watch an authorised Ashes broadcast from many countries, but not through one universal stream. Your legitimate choice depends on three variables:
- Your location: the rights map changes by country and sometimes by territory.
- Whether you need live video or an archive: the 2025/26 series is now historical, so current services may show only highlights, audio or unrelated cricket.
- Your device: use the broadcaster’s supported web, mobile or TV application rather than an unofficial stream.
For a future Ashes series, check Cricket Australia’s latest global broadcast guide and the local broadcaster’s event page shortly before the match. Do not carry forward the 2025/26 rights map, Willow’s current prices or any particular app as a guarantee for a later series.
Quick answer by viewer type
- In Australia during the 2025/26 series: use Channel Seven or 7plus for free-to-air coverage, or Foxtel/Kayo Sports for subscription viewing.
- In the UK and nearby UK territories: TNT Sports and discovery+ carried the live video; BBC provided free radio, clips and highlights.
- In the US or Canada: Willow by Cricbuzz was the listed live-video rights-holder. Check its current archive and future-event listings rather than assuming the completed Ashes is still live.
- Elsewhere: use the official broadcaster listed for your territory, such as Sky NZ, JioStar, Cricbuzz, Pacific Aus TV, Rush Sports, SuperSport or YuppTV.
- Looking for a free global full stream: none was verified. Use official highlights or audio instead of pirate or VPN-based access.
Rights and source note
The schedule and original rights information is based on Cricket Australia’s global guide and match material, the ECB and BBC series guides, Seven’s coverage information and Willow’s service and troubleshooting information. Commercial prices and app/device support are time-sensitive; confirm them on the provider’s current page before purchasing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still watch the 2025/26 Ashes live?
No. The fifth and final Test finished on January 8, 2026, so there is no live 2025/26 Ashes match to stream on August 12, 2026. Look for official highlights, archived audio or a full replay in the local rights-holder’s catalogue.
Was there a free legal Ashes stream?
In Australia, Channel Seven and 7plus were the principal free live-video options. In the UK, BBC Test Match Special offered free audio, while TNT Sports and discovery+ carried the live video. No free full live-video stream available worldwide was verified.
How could viewers in the US and Canada watch the Ashes?
Willow by Cricbuzz was the listed rights-holder for the United States and Canada. Its current service information lists web, mobile, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung TV, Chromecast, Google TV and Fire TV support, but archive availability for the completed Ashes must be checked separately.
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The first Test began at 10:20 a.m. local time in Perth on November 21, 2025. The other first balls were 3:00 p.m. AEDT in Brisbane, then 10:30 a.m. AEDT in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. UK guide times varied because Australia is ahead, and the Perth guides contained a ten-minute discrepancy.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: The 2025/26 Ashes is no longer live. Australia had free Seven/7plus coverage, the UK had TNT Sports live video plus free BBC audio and highlights, and the US and Canada were assigned to Willow. Today, the sensible route is to check official highlights, archived audio and territory-specific replay catalogues—there is no verified free full-series stream worldwide.
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