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Cricket Australia is poised to sign a $1 billon plus broadcast deal with Foxtel and Seven West Media, beating out incumbent partners Network Ten and Nine Entertainment.
As revealed by The Australian Financial Review on Thursday night, Foxtel is underpinning the new deal, and Ten and Seven were locked in battle to be the Murdoch-owned subscription service's free-to-air partner. Nine had dropped out earlier on Thursday, not want to spend more and having secured Tennis Australia's rights last month.
Sources said a deal with Foxtel and Seven could be announced as soon as Friday.
Under the terms of the deal Seven gain rights to all home Test matches and some of the Twenty20 Big Bash League, while Foxtel would have rights to broadcast every ball bowled, including simulcasting what is on free-to-air.
It's understood to be a six-year deal, worth around $180 million per year, or $1.08 billion over the length of the contract. Foxtel will pay around $100 million, while Seven will pay close to $80 million, contra included.
The landmark decision from Cricket Australia to put a huge chunk of its sport behind a paywall will see limited-overs international matches, both 50 over and Twenty20 forms, taken off free-to-air television for the first time in 40 years.
International limited overs cricket involving the Australian team played locally is on the anti-siphoning list, which dictates the sports free-to-air networks have first rights to bid on it. Foxtel needed a free-to-air partner in order to do a deal, but there is a question regarding 50 over and Twenty20 international matches moving exclusively onto pay TV.
Landmark changes to cricket broadcasting
BBL started behind a paywall on Foxtel, but under the last five-year contract with Network Ten experienced exponential growth in popularity.
Ten chief executive Paul Anderson said, in a statement, the CBS-owned network is disappointed its bid for cricket television rights was rejected.
"Network Ten turned the Big Bash League into the television phenomenon it is today and one of the most popular sports in Australia, a sport that all Australians were able enjoy for free," Mr Anderson said.
"We had planned to extend that innovation to other forms of the game. Network Ten and our BBL team led by David Barham revolutionised the way cricket is broadcast in Australia and attracted new, younger viewers to the game. At the same time, we invested heavily in the Women's Big Bash League, broadcasting matches in prime time for the first time and raising its profile significantly. We are proud of everything we achieved with the BBL and WBBL," he said.
Sources said Cricket Australia will be able to announce the deal is worth at least $1 billion.
It would be a revolution in cricket broadcasting not seen since Kerry Packer's then Nine took rights during the World Series Cricket era of the late 1970s.
Nine recently won the rights to tennis broadcasting after the 2019 Australian Open, previously broadcast by Seven.
Cricket Australia is poised to sign a $1 billon plus broadcast deal with Foxtel and Seven West Media, beating out incumbent partners Network Ten and Nine Entertainment.
As revealed by The Australian Financial Review on Thursday night, Foxtel is underpinning the new deal, and Ten and Seven were locked in battle to be the Murdoch-owned subscription service's free-to-air partner. Nine had dropped out earlier on Thursday, not want to spend more and having secured Tennis Australia's rights last month.
Sources said a deal with Foxtel and Seven could be announced as soon as Friday.
Under the terms of the deal Seven gain rights to all home Test matches and some of the Twenty20 Big Bash League, while Foxtel would have rights to broadcast every ball bowled, including simulcasting what is on free-to-air.
It's understood to be a six-year deal, worth around $180 million per year, or $1.08 billion over the length of the contract. Foxtel will pay around $100 million, while Seven will pay close to $80 million, contra included.
The landmark decision from Cricket Australia to put a huge chunk of its sport behind a paywall will see limited-overs international matches, both 50 over and Twenty20 forms, taken off free-to-air television for the first time in 40 years.
International limited overs cricket involving the Australian team played locally is on the anti-siphoning list, which dictates the sports free-to-air networks have first rights to bid on it. Foxtel needed a free-to-air partner in order to do a deal, but there is a question regarding 50 over and Twenty20 international matches moving exclusively onto pay TV.
Landmark changes to cricket broadcasting
BBL started behind a paywall on Foxtel, but under the last five-year contract with Network Ten experienced exponential growth in popularity.
Ten chief executive Paul Anderson said, in a statement, the CBS-owned network is disappointed its bid for cricket television rights was rejected.
"Network Ten turned the Big Bash League into the television phenomenon it is today and one of the most popular sports in Australia, a sport that all Australians were able enjoy for free," Mr Anderson said.
"We had planned to extend that innovation to other forms of the game. Network Ten and our BBL team led by David Barham revolutionised the way cricket is broadcast in Australia and attracted new, younger viewers to the game. At the same time, we invested heavily in the Women's Big Bash League, broadcasting matches in prime time for the first time and raising its profile significantly. We are proud of everything we achieved with the BBL and WBBL," he said.
Sources said Cricket Australia will be able to announce the deal is worth at least $1 billion.
It would be a revolution in cricket broadcasting not seen since Kerry Packer's then Nine took rights during the World Series Cricket era of the late 1970s.
Nine recently won the rights to tennis broadcasting after the 2019 Australian Open, previously broadcast by Seven.
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