The Cricket World Cup final could yet be shown on a free-to-air platform in the UK, with the rights holder, Sky, understood to be considering making the match available to non-subscribers in a one-off move.

A debate has raged about the tournament’s visibility to the wider public, not least after viewing figures showed England’s win against Scotland in the football Women’s World Cup attracted an average of 4.6 million viewers on BBC One, compared with an average of 550,000 for the England men’s cricket team on Sky Sports.

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The Guardian understands this has led to talks among senior executives at Sky as to whether the Lord’s final on 14 July should be opened up to more viewers in an acknowledgment this is a once-in-a-generation summer for English cricket.

No final decision has been made – it remains a sensitive topic at Sky and one that has ramifications for its business model – and a range of options for how this would work in practical terms are still being discussed.

Sky, which has held exclusive home rights to English cricket since 2006 and will have invested more than £2bn in the sport by the end of the next rights cycle in 2024, could choose to place the match on a streaming platform such as YouTube, its own website or team with a terrestrial partner.

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Sky One and Sky Sports Mix are not available to all households but are other options that would at least mean a subscription to the broadcaster’s cricket channel is not required. Another route would be to offer a free day pass to Now TV, Sky’s pay‑as‑you‑go service, as a way of attracting new customers.

BT Sport had a huge increase in its audience when placing the Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham on its YouTube channel and app free of charge, although it was obliged to do so under the terms of its contract with Uefa given at least one English team was involved.

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Eoin Morgan is leading a talented and diverse team who have risen to the top of the world rankings and are among the World Cup favourites. When asked before Friday’s game against West Indies in Southampton whether he worries they are not reaching a wider audience, Morgan pointed to the BBC and Sky’s online highlights, as well as social media.

“I don’t think kids will sit at home [and watch on TV], they get everything on tablets,” he said. “So online is key. As long as there aren’t restrictions there. I think everybody is getting it and that’s a huge positive.”