Nine launches Summer of Cricket

Yesterday Nine officially launched its 2016 / 17 International Summer of Cricket to advertisers at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

In attendance were Nine’s Chief Sales Officer, Michael Stephenson, Director of Sales – Sport, Sam Brennan, Tom Malone, Director of Sport, plus commentators including Bill Lawry, Ian Chappell, Ian Healy and Michael Slater.

Nine’s International Summer of Cricket will feature 318 hours of live coverage, with 79 hours in primetime across 41 days. Coverage will see Australia take on four international teams from South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Commonwealth Bank Test Series, Victoria Bitter ODI Series and the KFC T20 INTL Series.

The first ball will be bowled on November 3 when Australia meets South Africa in the first match of the Commonwealth Bank Test Series at the WACA in Perth.

Sam Brennan, said, “Spanning more than 41 days and broadcasting more than 318 hours of live coverage, Nine will double the prime-time coverage of last season and deliver our biggest ever summer of international cricket.”

Tom Malone, Nine’s Director of Sport said: “At Wide World of Sports, we’re privileged to be invited into people’s lounge rooms, kitchens, back decks and bedrooms all summer long. The sounds and pictures of our cricket coverage hold a very special place in Australia’s national identity. No one is more cognisant of that than our commentators, and this summer they’ll be providing a front row seat to history, as the action unfolds on the pitch, live and free and accessible to all Australians on Nine.”

“Whatever way you spin it, summer is cricket and cricket is summer. Our driveways and backyards, our beaches and sports ovals all become battlegrounds. Cricket is the only form of entertainment that resides in our lounge rooms, on our screens and on our radios all summer long,” Brennan added.