One likely mix would be for men’s and women’s international cricket to be available on FTA,while the Big Bash League’s broadcast becomes far more stream-driven for a low subscription fee - geared towards the younger,digital-savvy audiences that the tournament has always been designed to attract.
Test cricket’s audience share has grown by 45 per cent over the past four years,bucking downward trends in almost every other segment of broadcasting in that time. Equally,the BBL and WBBL remain the most-watched men's and women's domestic leagues in Australia when measured by average audience - although the men’s tournament has trended down from its 2017 peak.
“We’re open to the models that will be the best fit for the next round of rights,” Henderson said. “That is different to the past,and in terms of what packages people could put forward,it’s not just free-to-air,it’s not just pay TV,the streaming is another aspect.
“But clearly there’s a commitment to free-to-air as well and maintaining significant free-to-air cricket.”
“We’re bullish about the future in terms of media rights for cricket. The AFL deal is a really good one for the AFL,and cricket will work hard to make sure we get a great deal.”
Cricket Australia chair Lachlan Henderson
While broadcast competition is increasing,so too are the fees being demanded by players. CA must secure as much rights value as possible from its next deal in order to keep pace with overseas Twenty20 leagues,or be forced to considerprivate ownership models to raise extra capital.
Since it went with the highest bidders for its Australian rights in 2018,ending nearly 40 years with Nine (the publisher of this masthead),CA has enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with the subscription provider Foxtel but a much more fraught association with Seven,which remains in a legal battle with the governing body over the BBL.
As a result,there is an appreciation among cricket’s decision-makers for striking a balance between optimal dollar outcomes and strong,long-term partnerships in the future. Ten,now owned by Paramount,had been instrumental in raising the profile and value of the BBL between 2013 and 2018,only to be discarded at deal time.
Before CA’s domestic rights go to market,Henderson,chief executive Nick Hockley and other ICC member nations will enter talks over how the global rights deal will be distributed - potentially adding an extra $50 million a year to CA’s coffers.
“That will be a significant conversation for the ICC meetings in Melbourne later this year,” Henderson said.
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