Australian Cricket Broadcast Rights 2018 - 2023
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Yep, 9 was getting way too tired and still using the same tired old cometary team
Cleavy
Hall of Famer
CA better starting praying for a bidding war involving new streaming parties (unless they're going to sell to Fox Cricket/Kayo as separate tv/streaming packages?)
Cleavy
Hall of Famer
Cricket Australia’s bold plan to rescue Big Bash League before next TV rights deal
Cricket Australia has a radical plan to try to reignite the Big Bash League, but will it happen quickly enough for broadcasters to want to bid for the rights at the next TV deal?
Cricket Australia is set to permanently jettison white-ball internationals out of January in a desperate attempt to save the dying Big Bash League.
But the long-term rescue plan, which will guarantee the unprecedented availability of Australian stars for a large chunk of the tournament, can’t kick in until 2024 – leaving CA in a perilous position heading into a BBL season broadcasters are telling them will make-or-break the next TV rights deal.
As it stands, CA is powerless to change three ODIs against South Africa scheduled for the middle of January next summer, as well as an Australian Test team likely leaving for India before the BBL finals.
It is a scheduling double blow which once again decimates the star power of the competition in a summer where the heat is on like never before to deliver with only two summers to run on the current $1.8 billion TV deal with Channel 7 and Fox Sports.
As revealed by News Corp last month, the BBL has lost on average 450,000 viewers per game since 2016 and has been in decline for six consecutive years on Channels 10, 7 and Fox Sports.
“They’ve basically got this summer to sort it out otherwise it’s not going to be worth what it was worth. It’s just not,” one industry source said.
But CA executives are listening to the damning feedback and in Dubai last week held crucial talks with the International Cricket Council about permanently fencing off the last three weeks in January following the Sydney New Year’s Test to make it an exclusive BBL window.
It’s a potentially watershed moment for the Big Bash, because it will guarantee all Australian Test and white-ball superstars would be available every summer for a significant stretch of games, including finals – something which has never happened in the history of the competition.
But the billion dollar question is will it be too late to save cricket’s next TV rights deal from disaster?
Even if they stick with Test cricket, Channel 7 has no interest in bidding again for the BBL, and there is no sign Channels 10 or 9 would be interested in weighing in.
It’s estimated the BBL represents up to $80 million of the $186 million Channel 7 and Fox Sports are paying each year for the cricket rights – but that figure is in grave danger of shrinking dramatically and closer to the $20 million a year Channel 10 had it for in the previous TV deal.
Both Seven and Fox have told Cricket Australia executives in no uncertain terms that this coming summer is do-or-die for the BBL before negotiations for the next deal commence.
The networks want less gimmicks and more genuine star power and would be happy with fewer games if it meant better quality.
Cricket Australia have responded by nutting out an arrangement with the ICC to ensure that from 2024 when the next Future Tours cycle starts, white ball internationals in Australia are played either at the start of the summer in October and November, or in February … but never in January.
It should guarantee all Australian players are free to play in the last three weeks of the tournament.
Sources expect CA to make it a contractual obligation for all centrally contracted players that they must play some part in the BBL.
“They should be allowed to play and quite frankly, made to play,” said an industry source.
It would be a potentially game-changing breakthrough for the Big Bash League, given never before in its history has it had access to Australian international stars outside of small, random pockets.
But the tricky thing for Cricket Australia will be convincing broadcasters to take a leap of faith that the Big Bash is ready to turn a corner from 2024 under the proposed scheduling revamp, even though over the course of this six year TV deal the product has been in steady decline.
Broadcasters feel the BBL is in no man’s land.
It’s no longer the attractive entertainment product it first set out to be, and nor is it a functional development or feeder system for producing talent.
Ben McDermott, far and away the best player in the most recent BBL failed to get a bid at the Indian Premier League auction, and at last year’s World Cup not a single breakout BBL star was able to get anywhere near cracking the Australian XI.
Tim David was the pick of the Aussies at this year’s IPL auction, yet he got his million dollars largely courtesy of his work in the Pakistan Super League – now considered a superior competition to the BBL.
The farcical decision to block Steve Smith from making cameo appearances in the last BBL spotlighted how lost the competition has become.
News Corp understands Cricket Australia is highly unlikely to reduce the current 14-game home and away season, but are looking at crunching it all into six weeks to start just before Christmas and finish at the end of January.
Administrators are set to try and finally introduce an overseas player draft which has been delayed by COVID – and while big name internationals are important, both networks agree there is no substitute for having Australian stars headline the tournament.
There is no other T20 competition in the world that is competing against itself like the BBL, with the successful leagues in India, Pakistan and England all given a window uninterrupted by their international teams.
But Cricket Australia’s breakthrough talks with the ICC in Dubai has provided some long-awaited light at the end of the tunnel.
If all 11 Test players and 11 specialist white-ball internationals are playing BBL at the same time and spread evenly across the teams – there is suddenly genuine star power to lift the profile of every game and improve the languishing standards of play.
Another idea that’s been floated is whether the BBL schedule could move more to a football code model where games are played on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays to create a more concentrated big hit for ratings and crowds – but it’s unclear how effective that would be when it’s school holiday period anyway.
--------------------------------------------
would we care about ODIs more in Oct/Nov or February? (also if the proposal gets off the ground, Pakistan wanted to play that T20 quad series featuring Australia, India and England in Sept/Oct)
Cricket Australia has a radical plan to try to reignite the Big Bash League, but will it happen quickly enough for broadcasters to want to bid for the rights at the next TV deal?
Cricket Australia is set to permanently jettison white-ball internationals out of January in a desperate attempt to save the dying Big Bash League.
But the long-term rescue plan, which will guarantee the unprecedented availability of Australian stars for a large chunk of the tournament, can’t kick in until 2024 – leaving CA in a perilous position heading into a BBL season broadcasters are telling them will make-or-break the next TV rights deal.
As it stands, CA is powerless to change three ODIs against South Africa scheduled for the middle of January next summer, as well as an Australian Test team likely leaving for India before the BBL finals.
It is a scheduling double blow which once again decimates the star power of the competition in a summer where the heat is on like never before to deliver with only two summers to run on the current $1.8 billion TV deal with Channel 7 and Fox Sports.
As revealed by News Corp last month, the BBL has lost on average 450,000 viewers per game since 2016 and has been in decline for six consecutive years on Channels 10, 7 and Fox Sports.
“They’ve basically got this summer to sort it out otherwise it’s not going to be worth what it was worth. It’s just not,” one industry source said.
But CA executives are listening to the damning feedback and in Dubai last week held crucial talks with the International Cricket Council about permanently fencing off the last three weeks in January following the Sydney New Year’s Test to make it an exclusive BBL window.
It’s a potentially watershed moment for the Big Bash, because it will guarantee all Australian Test and white-ball superstars would be available every summer for a significant stretch of games, including finals – something which has never happened in the history of the competition.
But the billion dollar question is will it be too late to save cricket’s next TV rights deal from disaster?
Even if they stick with Test cricket, Channel 7 has no interest in bidding again for the BBL, and there is no sign Channels 10 or 9 would be interested in weighing in.
It’s estimated the BBL represents up to $80 million of the $186 million Channel 7 and Fox Sports are paying each year for the cricket rights – but that figure is in grave danger of shrinking dramatically and closer to the $20 million a year Channel 10 had it for in the previous TV deal.
Both Seven and Fox have told Cricket Australia executives in no uncertain terms that this coming summer is do-or-die for the BBL before negotiations for the next deal commence.
The networks want less gimmicks and more genuine star power and would be happy with fewer games if it meant better quality.
Cricket Australia have responded by nutting out an arrangement with the ICC to ensure that from 2024 when the next Future Tours cycle starts, white ball internationals in Australia are played either at the start of the summer in October and November, or in February … but never in January.
It should guarantee all Australian players are free to play in the last three weeks of the tournament.
Sources expect CA to make it a contractual obligation for all centrally contracted players that they must play some part in the BBL.
“They should be allowed to play and quite frankly, made to play,” said an industry source.
It would be a potentially game-changing breakthrough for the Big Bash League, given never before in its history has it had access to Australian international stars outside of small, random pockets.
But the tricky thing for Cricket Australia will be convincing broadcasters to take a leap of faith that the Big Bash is ready to turn a corner from 2024 under the proposed scheduling revamp, even though over the course of this six year TV deal the product has been in steady decline.
Broadcasters feel the BBL is in no man’s land.
It’s no longer the attractive entertainment product it first set out to be, and nor is it a functional development or feeder system for producing talent.
Ben McDermott, far and away the best player in the most recent BBL failed to get a bid at the Indian Premier League auction, and at last year’s World Cup not a single breakout BBL star was able to get anywhere near cracking the Australian XI.
Tim David was the pick of the Aussies at this year’s IPL auction, yet he got his million dollars largely courtesy of his work in the Pakistan Super League – now considered a superior competition to the BBL.
The farcical decision to block Steve Smith from making cameo appearances in the last BBL spotlighted how lost the competition has become.
News Corp understands Cricket Australia is highly unlikely to reduce the current 14-game home and away season, but are looking at crunching it all into six weeks to start just before Christmas and finish at the end of January.
Administrators are set to try and finally introduce an overseas player draft which has been delayed by COVID – and while big name internationals are important, both networks agree there is no substitute for having Australian stars headline the tournament.
There is no other T20 competition in the world that is competing against itself like the BBL, with the successful leagues in India, Pakistan and England all given a window uninterrupted by their international teams.
But Cricket Australia’s breakthrough talks with the ICC in Dubai has provided some long-awaited light at the end of the tunnel.
If all 11 Test players and 11 specialist white-ball internationals are playing BBL at the same time and spread evenly across the teams – there is suddenly genuine star power to lift the profile of every game and improve the languishing standards of play.
Another idea that’s been floated is whether the BBL schedule could move more to a football code model where games are played on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays to create a more concentrated big hit for ratings and crowds – but it’s unclear how effective that would be when it’s school holiday period anyway.
--------------------------------------------
would we care about ODIs more in Oct/Nov or February? (also if the proposal gets off the ground, Pakistan wanted to play that T20 quad series featuring Australia, India and England in Sept/Oct)
The international season used to go from early November to mid-late February, and I don't really understand why they now try to crush everything together so much.
Also a fan of a dedicated window for BBL, although three weeks doesn't seem long enough.
Hopefully the broadcasters will like this, because CA needs the money, and that money flows right through the system.
Not if it's a random 3 or 5 game bilateral series. That Pakistan idea was killed off by the BCCI/ICC but I'd like for Australia to host a quad series every February.
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It has been made a massive priority and it has still floundered
You could either do ODIs before the tests in Oct/Nov or could have a team play a test series v Aus, go to NZ to play a test series then play a tri series across both countries.
Pippen94
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What team do Cummins, Smith & Warner play for?!
DIG
Brownlow Medallist
CA got greedy with the last deal and it’s ****ed then. It was obvious from day one that it was WAY too many games dragging on for way too long, lost the public.
This idea has some merit at least. I don’t mind the idea of having all the ODIs in November, but in Melbourne there’ll be little interest until after Cup weekend, if it starts b4 that people will be like “I didn’t even know there was a game on.” I know I don’t think about cricket in Oz until that first test begins in Brisbane so that would need to change.
Clashing with the tennis won’t help their ratings though.
This idea has some merit at least. I don’t mind the idea of having all the ODIs in November, but in Melbourne there’ll be little interest until after Cup weekend, if it starts b4 that people will be like “I didn’t even know there was a game on.” I know I don’t think about cricket in Oz until that first test begins in Brisbane so that would need to change.
Clashing with the tennis won’t help their ratings though.
Last edited:
Cleavy
Hall of Famer
apparently it's Thunder, Sixers, Thunder
Pippen94
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Never seen them play. Odi selection always given priority over big bash finals. How would IPL look if Indian administration so rigid?!
It would be interesting though to see how the Sydney teams keep their squads together if their star players are actually available and they pay them more than a basic retainer.
I don't think Davey is actually in a squad in recent years? He did play for Thunder in early days.
I don't think Davey is actually in a squad in recent years? He did play for Thunder in early days.
If I read that right three weeks would be the guaranteed player window, not necessarily the tournament length. For the last three weeks (of however many, maybe three, maybe six) all Australian international players with a BBL contract would be available.
I would much rather move the BBL away from Christmas, but broadcasters (and therefore CA) would not. Players get taken out of Shield into T20, back to Shield. From a sporting, rather than financial, perspective that is a mess.
Father Jack
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I miss the old WSC, when ODI's would actually have some meaning. How I yearn for the good old days of the 'third final if required'
Cleavy
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they have meaning currently, but only the hardest of hardcore cricket fans would be fully versed
2023 Cricket World Cup qualification - Wikipedia
Father Jack
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All very good and I'm sure it's perfectly fascinating, but it's just not the same as trying to work out how many runs we need to beat Pakistan by so we can then get thrashed by the Windies in the finals. Those were the daysthey have meaning currently, but only the hardest of hardcore cricket fans would be fully versed
2023 Cricket World Cup qualification - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Cleavy
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according to this article:
2 Tests vs West Indies in Perth & Adelaide
3 Tests vs South Africa in Brisbane, Melbourne & Sydney
Father Jack
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How have they persuaded the Saffers to give up their home Boxing Day fixture?
MatthewB
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Plugger35
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Serves CA right for being greedy and taking the more lucrative Ch7/Fox deal instead of the Ch10 deal which would have had all the cricket on FTA.
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