Clock ticking on Nine’s time to retain cricket
As the clock ticks on Nine's chance to match TEN's bid for cricket, its best hopes lay with WIN TV's Bruce Gordon.
- Published by David Knox
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As the clock is ticking on Nine’s chance to match TEN’s $500m bid for Cricket broadcast rights, its best hopes lay with WIN TV billionaire Bruce Gordon.
Nine has until Monday to find the money for a deal with Cricket Australia but US hedge funds owners are reluctant to get into further debt.
Bruce Gordon, who is home in Bermuda, is considering whether to sell his Adelaide and Perth stations to Nine.
Nine CEO David Gyngell and chairman David Haslingden have been locked in meetings with chief executive of UBS Australasia, Matthew Grounds, to find efficiencies and reduce operating expenses and spread the $500 million cricket rights cost across a bigger network.
“If a deal gets done, Nine’s chances of keeping cricket increase significantly,” a source told News Limited.
Nine’s last rights clause on the cricket expires on Monday.
Source: Daily Telegraph, The Australian
12 Responses
I agree if TEN can get this then Nine has lost big time, fingers crossed for TEN, we might actually get the cricket in HD in the near future!
I hope TEN get the cricket rights.
Nine Network simply do not have the money to retain the One Day Internationals and Maybe not even the Tests. As far as the Domestic rights are concerned Nine has no interest in domestic cricket that includes the Big Bash League. Even if they did have themoney for everything they probably would not have enough room for it. Anyway they have more pressing issues such as cutting costs and probably being floated on the ASX by their Hedge Fund owners Apollo and Oaktree capital. At best Nine will keep test matches. TEN will win BBL and ODI, FOX will Keep the Domestic 50 over competition and the domestic long form game. The only domestic cricket league which will rate on TEN or ONE is going to be BBL thats it because its in prime time and ad revenue is more important now more then ever. The other two will not rate at all. If TEN get all of it then they will on sell the parts that are unlikely to rate and bring in the cash. You have to understand that the whole point of buying sports broadcast rights is to make more money especially since US content isnt doing it as much as it used to dito for australian drama. Live events will be the key, untill tv networks work out how to use there websites and there output deals better.
The SMH reports today that CA has dropped it lawsuit (due to be heard tomorrow) that was going to clarify whether or not the BBL and domestic cricket had to be in Nine’s offer. So CA has decided to accept that Nine’s can just outbid Ten for the Test and ODIs covered by Nine’s old deal.
The $500m figure bandied about is not all cash it involved promotions and other things and includes all domestic rights. Nine, if they are going to do so, doesn’t have to match all that only the Test and ODI component.
Ten’s bid for all domestic rights, including the BBL, was said to be an average of $20m/year (compared to Foxsports $12.5m) according to the AFR. But with inflation and growth factored it’s not that much more and they will make much more in advertising revenue than Foxtel. Ten could either fill up One with domestic ODs and the Shield final, or sell some of them onto Foxsports.
So Ten probably won’t be too unhappy if Nine outbids them. They get the BBL, drive Nine’s costs up a lot and will have cash to bid against Seven for the Tennis. TA and Seven are yet to reach agreement for the rights from 2015 so it looks like they will go to open bidding later in the year.
When I think of Bruce Gordon in Bermuda I think of him sitting in his lair Bond villain style stroking his cat.
lol..Sorry oztv..I don’t want to be too pedantic about this but….the 2 things that get to me like scratching on a chalkboard…1st why do people write loose when it’s lose?you lose something..when you lose weight,your pants become loose..lol..it’s not rocket surgery.2nd..the way oz pronounces debut…dayboo.It’s daybyou where I come from.Debut and debutantes might be the most user-used words on tv here,specially on sports shows.Everyone’s making a debut..no one’s ever starting their first game…curious country this.
@joey69
I agree with you Nine just simply don’t have the money. If they did have the money they will easily win the rights to international cricket ages ago.
@oztvhertiage
Get on side Mr Gordon with Ten not Nine! No doubt Brue Gordon will either let the talks run longer or go straight to Ten and get the deal with them. He should protect Ten
Can 9 decide to just match the internationals, not domestic cricket?
What a fancinating position mr Gordon is in. Does he look after his major share investment in ten. And then win have no cricket and nine parter with southern cross in the future and his win network has to partner with ten around the country. Or does he sell his stations in adel and Perth and ten loose (some or all of ) the cricket…and you would think ten Managment would not be happy with that!!! Fascinating stuff!!
Shield cricket too?
Ponting is in the Tassie uniform in that pic 😉
down to the wire with a last minute make-it-up-as-you-go- along solution
Another fine example of how crazy TV media ownership is in this country. If Nine win the rights you can almost sense that there would be massive structural changes at Nine. It seems plain and simple that Nine do not have the money. Hamish McLennan seems to have played the perfect hand in a game of poker. Gyngell played his best hand at the NRL table and has very little to play with.