The "signing off" on a World Test Championship and a new one-day int'l league is "expected to escalate negotiations between Cricket Australia and broadcasters for the rights to televise the sport over the next five years," according to Chris Barrett of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The changes could be announced by Friday, when a board meeting of the Int'l Cricket Council in Auckland is "tipped to approve the introduction of a new structure" for the int'l game. Australian broadcasters are "watching closely, eager for talks to ramp up" on a new domestic rights TV deal. Channel Nine, which indicated it will bid not only to show Australia's home Tests and limited-overs int'ls but the Big Bash League as well, "wants to have a deal settled by the end of the year at the latest." With the shape of the cricket calendar over the next five years "on the verge of being determined," formal discussions "could well begin soon after the ICC signs off on the Test and one-day league championships." The present five-year broadcast deal is worth A$590M ($457.9M), including A$100M ($77.6M) for the BBL, and "expires at the end of this summer." While Nine has pushed for CA to begin negotiations, the prospective takeover of BBL broadcaster Channel Ten by American media company CBS is a "key factor for the governing body" (SMH, 10/9).
