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Report: Nine set to lose Cricket rights

With Foxtel tipped to deal with Seven or TEN, a 4 decade history looks set to end at Nine.

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Nine’s 4 decade run with Cricket looks set to end, if a report in The Australian proves true.

Foxtel has “agreed to terms with Cricket Australia, leaving officials to thrash out a free-to-air deal with Seven and TEN.”

Under the proposed terms, Seven or TEN would buy Nine’s Test matches and some of the domestic Big Bash League, currently with TEN.

Foxtel would have exclusive rights to some Big Bash matches as well as simulcast rights for live Tests and international limited-overs matches.

A deal could be announced as soon as today, Friday 13th.

Last week Nine and TEN reportedly upped their bid understood to be valued around $150 million annually, or $900 million over the six years of the deal.

Sources said Nine has not ­talked to Cricket Australia for two days.

19 Responses

  1. Unfortunately what Netflix, Amazon etc don’t have is the Sports and whilst so many sports are on Foxtel they will keep up their subscription even if you have to put up with the inane basic channels(Sky News No.1 Inane channel) your are forced to buy. If my family did not love sport so much, absolutely Foxtel would be gone!.

    1. sport does not equal new subscribers . foxtel is spending big with no guarantee .subscribers to pay tv have been in free fall for several years now not just in Australia but the UK and USA as well as opposed to streaming which is on the increase . A household only has so much to spend and pay tv in Australia is just too expensive with packages that no one wants .

      1. Subscriber numbers fell for the first time during 2017. The major reason is competition from Netflix and Stan have lead to a reduction in Pay TV TV show and movie viewing. Exclusive sport is a major draw card for Pay TV around the world. AFL and NRL fans subscribe to watch all their team’s games. Cricket won’t be that big a draw, the major tests and BBL games will be on FTA and ODI and T20 international ratings are declining. But with the A-League doing poorly it’s the best available for Fox Sports.

  2. We don’t mind if all the Nine commentators comes across except to Ian Healy great cricketer but has never let go that he was once an Australian player and no longer is, so biased. Mr Brayshaw will spearhead the cricket for Seven

    1. The BBL started on Foxtel and nobody noticed. It barely rated more than state OD matches, which nobody bothers to air anymore. It couldn’t find a broad audience until it was on in primetime on FTA. If CA moves too much cricket to exclusive Pay TV (like the ECB did) they will find their fan base shrinking rapidly.

  5. “…we have been kind of stuck at this 30 per cent penetration level now for several years” Mr Tonagh said. (AFR -foxtel-chief-executive-peter-tonaghs-new-strategy-to-lift-subscriber-growth)
    So, only 30% or less of Australian households have Foxtel? Compared to 99% with FTA access?
    Seems CA prefers $$$ to TV audience numbers.

  6. B&T are reporting this morning Seven and Foxtel have the rights in a $1 billion deal.

    I think common sense would prevail here where Big Bash would remain on FTA and can easily air on same channel as tests, one days, etc. Looks like Seven ramped up their offer when Nine took tennis off them. Foxtel would air games at the same time like they do for AFL.

    Will be interesting though if Seven chose to recoup some of the money and on-sell Big Bash to Ten – if that is possible under the deal?

    Will be very weird come 2020 with Tennis on Nine, Cricket on Seven!

  7. Losing the Big Bash exclusively to Foxtel will be the death of the league.
    General population will lose interest if they aren’t able to watch.

  11. If it goes to Foxtel think you will see the ratings drop. Many people l know are switching from Foxtel to the likes of Netflix and Amazon. They simply can’t afford several packages and it seems Foxtel is the one they chop off.

    1. Many people I know, including myself have downgraded foxtel or cancelled and resubscribed at a lower price. We had foxtel platinum with 2 extra boxes but now have the $39 sports hd and basic deal with 1 box plus Stan, Hulu and Netflix. Pretty much everything we watch is on one of those and it costs much less than what we were paying on platinum.

    2. I got rid of Foxtel (or Austar as it was back then) in 2006. Haven’t missed it.

      I only subscribe to the Foxtel Now app for the 3 months of the year Wentworth is on as that’s the only show I’m interested in.

  12. For Big Bash to continue it’a success it needs to stay on FTA, I prefer 10 to continue with this as they have done a fantastic job and have grown the Big Bash to what it is now.

    1. This – I have no interest in the BBL if I can’t watch every game, every night like I have been used to. Cricket Australia are absolutely idiots of the highest order if they destroy what they have here with the BBL by shafting some (probably most, lets be honest) of the games off to pay networks. The crowds were up and the ratings through the roof due to its FTA coverage of all games, not just one or two a week. I hope their desire for money comes back to bite them in the end.

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