New Broadcast Deals for Cricket Australia to Boost Fan Experience
June 4, 2013
Cricket Australia has secured AU$590m ($569m) through domestic broadcast arrangements with Channels Nine and Ten which will help improve the experience of cricket for fans, pills kids and community clubs.
All international games will be telecast live and in full nationally, asthma whilst all of the games in the Big Bash League (BBL) will be on free-to-air TV .
Channel Nine will continue to provide cricket coverage for another five years and has also agreed a AU$60m ($58m) joint venture with Cricket Australia to develop new digital products for fans.
BBL will be shown by Network Ten which will increase the audience for the new competition.
Nine CEO David Gyngell said: “Nine’s on-going relationship with the game is a source of great pride to me personally and to all Nine employees.
“I’d like to thank our partners Cricket Australia and also Bruce Gordon and the WIN network whose associated deal with Nine paved the way for today’s agreement.”
TEN Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Hamish McLennan added: “We are delighted to join forces with Cricket Australia as its exclusive domestic Twenty20 cricket partner and we look forward to a long, successful partnership.
“The Twenty20 Big Bash League is a great competition and TEN and Cricket Australia will make it a major free-to-air television event.”
Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland commented: “The average annual value of the broadcast of Australian cricket in Australia to Australian viewers has just increased 118% compared to the last five years to $590 million, which is very important to our ability to invest in the continuing development of our sport.
“Cricket is the soul of summer – nothing beats it.”
He went to describe the 34-year relationship with Channel Nine as ‘nothing short of outstanding.’