Menu
Media

Channel Nine Board Grants Go Ahead To Retain Cricket TV Rights For Next Five Years

Channel Nine's board "has granted its senior managers clearance to go ahead and clinch the rich cricket broadcasting rights for the next five years," according to Chris Barrett of the BRISBANE TIMES. Nine is "tipped to wait until the deadline of Monday to make a final decision on whether to trump the offer by rival Network Ten," estimated to total about A$500M ($479M), and "retain the coverage of the game it has held for more than 30 years." Nine's American hedge-fund owners, Oaktree Capital and Apollo Management, "expressed their reluctance." However, the board "issued instructions this week to Nine management," led by CEO David Gyngell and Managing Dir Jeff Browne, that the "decision on whether to match Ten's offer was now in their hands." Nine "has a last-rights clause in its existing seven-year deal with Cricket Australia that allows it the final play over other suitors" (BRISBANE TIMES, 6/1).

UNDER THE GUN: In Melbourne, Malcolm Conn reported Nine "was already under increased financial pressure after last year's successful billion-dollar, five-year deal" for the National Rugby League rights, which is believed to be losing about A$30M a year. The cricket deal "will be another significant loss leader for the network." However, both sports "are considered important drivers for a share float of the debt-laden network within the next 18 months." It is uncertain if all of Nine's commentators "would remain and if the network would use three to call the action or return to two" (HERALD SUN, 5/31). In Sydney, John Lehmann reported the chances of Channel Nine retaining the rights to broadcast Australian cricket "are increasing, with WIN television billionaire Bruce Gordon prepared to do a critical deal to sell two television stations." Gyngell "wants to purchase WIN's stations in Adelaide and Perth to spread" the A$500M cost of retaining the exclusive cricket rights over a bigger network. A deal with Gordon "would be based on Nine purchasing the Adelaide station immediately and Perth later, when media laws are expected to be altered" to allow networks to reach more than 75% of the population (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 5/31).

A BIG VICTORY: Also in Sydney, Lehmann reported in a separate piece the deal means Channel Nine will be able to match Network Ten's A$500M bid "to broadcast Test and one-day cricket, including the Ashes this summer." The deal "is also a victory for Ten's newly installed chief Hamish McLennan, with the third-placed network to win rights to broadcast the Big Bash Twenty20 tournament for the next five years" for about A$20M a year (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 6/3).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2013/06/03/Media/Australian-Cricket.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2013/06/03/Media/Australian-Cricket.aspx

CLOSE