Has the Big Bash failed to Deliver?

[frankrizzo]

nineteen no matter the appeal there is no way nine is showing 4-6 cricket games a week in primetime, they might sign a joint deal with foxtel and show one game a week live but they are not going to compete with foxtel for the rights.

it's fox on it's own or in a collaboration with nine, CA certainly aren't in a spot either way to get top dollar for the rights.

 

[Blessed]

nineteen no matter the appeal there is no way nine is showing 4-6 cricket games a week in primetime, they might sign a joint deal with foxtel and show one game a week live but they are not going to compete with foxtel for the rights.

it's fox on it's own or in a collaboration with nine, CA certainly aren't in a spot either way to get top dollar for the rights.

Exactly. No one is doubting the appeal but CA has created it at a loss of $12 million a year on an expectation that a terrestrial channel will come in as a white knight and buy it and put it on terrestrial tv. There is just no-one there to do this.

Originally all the franchises were going to be owned by foreign organisations or say; the ANZ Stars or Westpac Sixers but this never eventuated.

If CA doesn't get terrestrial tv to cover the losses, pretty soon the prices to get in will increase to pay for the tickets.

It is like North Melbourne at Ethihad with an average attendance less then 30,000 and still making a loss. The BB is not covering their costs for each game.

It is an entertaining product but the economics don't add up amongst all the ballyhoo out of Jolimont from James Sutherland, Mike McKenna and the CA brains trust.

 

[Hellgood]

Channel 9 already has the tests/ODI's to worry about in December and January, so hard to see them stumping up money + then more money for extra crew. Don't forget they do not broadcast in HD because they won't have the HD production crew in Australia (there are only a few around apparently - no idea why). Then C7 has the Australian open right during the finals of the Big Bash and won't move its coverage of the Tennis for that. Channel 10 couldn't afford anything and SBS couldn't give a crap. ABC doesn't have the money and concentrates on the Womens game anyway.

Basically, it is hard to see it being in Primetime on any network (especially with 6 games a week sometimes) and difficult to see it on any network unless the BBL accepts a low fee.

I agree with this. Will probably stay on Fox I would imagine, the very best CA could hope for would be for Nine to buy a game or two a week. No way would and could they have it all on Nine.

 

[Cleavy]

any chance of 9 simulcasting a Fox game (similar to the plan for AFL with 7)? Although in this scenario, Fox would have more to lose.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Personally don't like the game. Agree with The Age's Greg Baum who wote yesterday that every game seems the same.

Also when retired players come back and do well you know it's a crap game.

Still there is no denying it's an important revenue earner for CA and cricket in general. No doubt the extra money has helped convince some youngsters to stick with the game.

The catch 22 though is the more successful the BB is, the more money, but the more detrimental it will be to Shield and Test cricket as expansion will lead to extended time required.

 

[Underarm]

I'm in England and you could pay for streaming for the whole series on the CA website - only for outside Aus customers. I didn't realise till half way through but they also had separate pricing grades for the finals. Excellent idea.

Anyone with an iPhone could aswell. $10 for tests, ODI's and bbl games. Not that try promoted it in anyway though....

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Big Bash? what's that?

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I think it's lost something now it's become just a franchise system with blow-ins from every state and overseas. The state-by-state rivalry that makes for engaging matches just isn't there.

Yeah, AFL sucks.

 

[Kram]

Big Bash? what's that?

You don't like T20 cricket, we get it..

 

[The Fonz]

They should have double-headers every day and not just the weekend. First game should be 4.30-7.30 and next one 8-11

This would allow it to be over and done with quicker. While the tournament is on, there is no international cricket and so the Test players would play.

 

[Hornberger]

What the Schedule could look like for next summer

International Schedule

Date	        Type	Opponent        Venue
Thu, 25 Oct	Test	South Africa	Brisbane
Fri, 2 Nov	Test	South Africa	Adelaide
Sat, 10 Nov	Test	South Africa	Perth
Sun, 18 Nov	ODI	South Africa	Melbourne
Wed, 28 Nov	ODI	South Africa	Perth
Fri, 30 Nov	ODI	South Africa	Brisbane
Sun, 2 Dec	ODI	South Africa	Hobart
Wed, 5 Dec	T20	South Africa	Sydney
Fri, 7 Dec	T20	South Africa	Brisbane
Sat, 15 Dec	Test	Sri Lanka	Hobart
Wed, 26 Dec	Test	Sri Lanka	Melbourne
Thu, 3 Jan	Test	Sri Lanka	Sydney
Fri, 15 Feb	T20	Sri Lanka	Melbourne
Sun, 17 Feb	T20	Sri Lanka	Adelaide
Wed, 20 Feb	ODI	Sri Lanka	Sydney
Fri, 22 Feb	ODI	Sri Lanka	Perth
Sun, 24 Feb	ODI	Sri Lanka	Adelaide
Wed, 27 Feb	ODI	Sri Lanka	Melbourne

Big Bash League

                Start           Finish
Round 1	        Fri, 11 Jan	Sun, 13 Jan
Round 2	        Tue, 15 Jan	Wed, 16 Jan
Round 3	        Fri, 18 Jan	Sun, 20 Jan
Round 4	        Tue, 22 Jan	Wed, 23 Jan
Round 5	        Fri, 25 Jan	Sun, 27 Jan
Round 6	        Tue, 29 Jan	Wed, 30 Jan
Round 7	        Fri, 1 Feb	Sun, 3 Feb
Semi Finals	Tue, 5 Feb	Wed, 6 Feb
Grand Finals	Sat, 9 Feb

 

[madmug]

They should have double-headers every day and not just the weekend. First game should be 4.30-7.30 and next one 8-11

This would allow it to be over and done with quicker. While the tournament is on, there is no international cricket and so the Test players would play.

Double headers on weekends would be ok. Its too hard for people who work to get to games too early. At Boot park you had to get to the ground 1-1&1/2 hrs before the game to get a seat! I guess it depends on whether you want people to go to games or sit at home & watch them. Two games each night might be a bit much.

 

[Underarm]

What the Schedule could look like for next summer

International Schedule

Date	        Type	Opponent        Venue
Thu, 25 Oct	Test	South Africa	Brisbane
Fri, 2 Nov	Test	South Africa	Adelaide
Sat, 10 Nov	Test	South Africa	Perth
Sun, 18 Nov	ODI	South Africa	Melbourne
Wed, 28 Nov	ODI	South Africa	Perth
Fri, 30 Nov	ODI	South Africa	Brisbane
Sun, 2 Dec	ODI	South Africa	Hobart
Wed, 5 Dec	T20	South Africa	Sydney
Fri, 7 Dec	T20	South Africa	Brisbane
Sat, 15 Dec	Test	Sri Lanka	Hobart
Wed, 26 Dec	Test	Sri Lanka	Melbourne
Thu, 3 Jan	Test	Sri Lanka	Sydney
Fri, 15 Feb	T20	Sri Lanka	Melbourne
Sun, 17 Feb	T20	Sri Lanka	Adelaide
Wed, 20 Feb	ODI	Sri Lanka	Sydney
Fri, 22 Feb	ODI	Sri Lanka	Perth
Sun, 24 Feb	ODI	Sri Lanka	Adelaide
Wed, 27 Feb	ODI	Sri Lanka	Melbourne

Big Bash League

                Start           Finish
Round 1	        Fri, 11 Jan	Sun, 13 Jan
Round 2	        Tue, 15 Jan	Wed, 16 Jan
Round 3	        Fri, 18 Jan	Sun, 20 Jan
Round 4	        Tue, 22 Jan	Wed, 23 Jan
Round 5	        Fri, 25 Jan	Sun, 27 Jan
Round 6	        Tue, 29 Jan	Wed, 30 Jan
Round 7	        Fri, 1 Feb	Sun, 3 Feb
Semi Finals	Tue, 5 Feb	Wed, 6 Feb
Grand Finals	Sat, 9 Feb

Looks efficient enough. Bbl has to be finished before school returns though.....

 

[Hornberger]

Looks efficient enough. Bbl has to be finished before school returns though.....

Can't be done without either
1) Having the BBL being played at the same time as the Sydney Test; or
2) Move the Sydney Test away from the New Year's period.

Its only the Semi Finals that are the problem. Round 7 and the Grand Final are both on the Weekend. The Kids can just be tired for school for one game.

 

[Bradesmaen]

How dare you take our Australia Day ODI off us

 

[Hornberger]

How dare you take our Australia Day ODI off us

You can have an Adelaide Strikes home game instead.

 

[Blessed]

For starters they would look at their portfolio of Test Cricket/T-20/BBL/Domestic cricket and value each of them. I am sure they will find each of one is valued by its stockholders somewhat differently, mind you national pride, test ranking status all have equity. These distinctly different formats need very different governance style and management, not having the delineation makes it easy for one to ride the coattails of the other which eventually devalues (in this case) test cricket but eventually the overall entity, All smart businesses know how and where to create those divisions and at the same time are very astute in maximizing their overall value, when one of the division is not performing there are serious consequences.

Re: the BBL, I think one of the problems with it is that it’s raison d’etre seems to be money, and cricket is incidental, whereas it should be the other way round. You’ve spoken before too of the marketers and player-agents unholy influence, and the way CA set up BBL, it seems to be just a continuation of that. Once you invite such big business into bed with no clear set of rules and conditions, you can’t turn around and say ‘ok you know a 7-week tournament is too long, we’ll cut it in half, split teams in two groups etc. of course you’ll get fewer home games and fewer games overall, so revenue might be affected’.

 

[Pralaya]

Seeing the amount of crowd that it pulled, it definitely delivered.

T20 is what most people want to see. I don't see it dying.

 

[Bradesmaen]

You can have an Adelaide Strikes home game instead.

Insulting

 

[Hornberger]

Insulting

Ok you can have Australia A vs Bangledesh.

 

[PykeDream]

Looks efficient enough. Bbl has to be finished before school returns though.....

Well if they could finish Round 7 on February 1 somehow, then it wouldn't matter as the finals are played on weekends anyway.

 

[The Passenger]

Can't be done without either
1) Having the BBL being played at the same time as the Sydney Test; or
2) Move the Sydney Test away from the New Year's period.

Its only the Semi Finals that are the problem. Round 7 and the Grand Final are both on the Weekend. The Kids can just be tired for school for one game.

you could start the big bash alongside the sydney test, assuming the sydney test is the final test of the summer.

the team is finalised, there is no need for any additional first class games while that test is on because there is no test for them to trial for anyway....

sydney test starts january 3, big bash kicks off jan 4. should be done by jan 31 or whatever the saturday/sunday is before everyone goes back to school. or at least get the midweek games out of the way by the time school is done so that you're only left with semi's and final on the weekend.

they'll almost certainly free up the entire of January (aside from new years test) to allow the international players to play the big bash.

 

[Hornberger]

you could start the big bash alongside the sydney test, assuming the sydney test is the final test of the summer.

The idea was not have International Cricket competeing against the domestic T20 and also have the test players available for the BBL.

What you could do is move round one toTuesday 8th/Wednesday 9th. Round 7 would now played mid week, the Semi Finals would be played on the weekend and have a full weeks break before the grand final still on Feb 9th.

 

[The Passenger]

The idea was not have International Cricket competeing against the domestic T20 and also have the test players available for the BBL.

What you could do is move round one toTuesday 8th/Wednesday 9th. Round 7 would now played mid week, the Semi Finals would be played on the weekend and have a full weeks break before the grand final still on Feb 9th.

well you have to weigh it up i guess.

i dont think it will hurt at all to play the first round of big bash games alongside the tests.

it's near impossible to have sydney new years test, all international players available for all big bash games, and finish the big bash by the time the school holidays are over.

some compromise has to be done, and losing the international players for the first round of games isn't really the big of a deal.