Cricket Australia (CA) have secured the billion dollars broadcast deal with Seven Network and Foxtel on Friday (13 April). CA has finalized the massive new Aus$1.2 billion (US$918 million) TV rights deal for the next six-years with Pay-TV Company Foxtel and the free-to-air Seven Network.
However, Nine along with free-to-air provider Network Ten was part of the bidding war for the rights, but Foxtel and Seven Network won the bidding war.
With the bumper deal, CA’s four-decade-long relation has ended with Nine Network and the CBS-backed Ten Network. The deal has included broadcast rights for international matches, domestic Test matches and the Big Bash League (both Men and Women). Seven will broadcast BBL games, as well as international Tests, played in Australia.
Under the terms, Seven and Foxtel will jointly broadcast every Test match and BBL matches, while Foxtel will hold exclusive rights to men's one-day and Twenty20 international matches.
Fox and Cricket Australia also signed a new digital partnership to provide the internet. However, the next Ashes series and ODI World Cup will still be shown on Nine.
As per AFP, Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said, “One Day Internationals will be on Fox Sports and we are working with Fox Sports to come to a landing point for the regulatory requirements. Certainly, the [communications] minister is aware of it.”
Mr Sutherland further added, “The amount of cricket across Foxtel and Seven, the amount of free-to-air cricket is greater than ever before — there is a commitment to women's cricket, Tests, 23 women's big bash league matches[will now be covered]. We will have more content on television over the next 5 years than ever before. Some of this is a significant uplift in revenue, but we have balanced that with an increased amount of cricket being made available to the public.”
Meanwhile, Foxtel chief Patrick Delany said, “We offer fans the most compelling, entertaining and innovative coverage of cricket. It will be cricket like they have never experienced before.”
Sutherland signed off by saying, “What we are particularly proud of in this partnership is the focus on extending our broadcast coverage of women's matches. Our partners are key to inspiring more women and girls to pick up a bat and ball. If more elite content is accessible to fans be it on TV or through their mobile devices, we're helping tap into new audiences to attract them to the sport.”
