An expanding media landscape has Cricket Australia confident it will attract "unprecedented" interest in its next round of broadcast rights, according to Jon Pierik of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. While announcing a A$68M ($53M) surplus over its just-completed four-year financial cycle, CA CEO James Sutherland said that the game's governing body was "well placed to cash in when negotiations intensify" over a new round of local int'l and Big Bash League rights. CA was "hopeful" of securing A$200M ($155.5M) annually in the new deal, with BBL rights expected to triple to A$60M ($46.6M) a year under a new deal. The current five-year broadcast deal is worth A$590M ($458M), including A$100M ($77.7M) for the BBL, and expires at the end of this summer. Sutherland said, "We believe there is significant interest in cricket's rights. Ultimately, the market will decide the value of our rights but we do know the media landscape is changing all the time" (SMH, 10/24). In Brisbane, Robert Craddock reported CA will attempt to "leave behind the bitterness of the game's uncivil war and a looming television rights bonanza should ensure there is money for all." Several months ago, with BBL rights holder Channel Ten in "financial ruin," there were fears that Channel Nine "could get all the cricket rights on the cheap because of lack of opposition." But the emergence of U.S. media company CBS as the new owner of Ten has "changed the landscape" and the recent selling of the five-year Indian Premier League rights for a "dam-busting" A$3.2B ($2.5M) has "lifted expectations." Sutherland: "I don’t know all the gory details behind that, but the most important thing is that Ten, who’ve been a great partner for us with the BBL, would appear now to have some stability and we look forward to talking to them as an incumbent partner" (COURIER-MAIL, 10/24).
