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Before Australia plays its first Ashes Test against England in July, one would assume that the cricket TV rights would be settled.
We would therefore have the knowledge as to which network has the rights for the next five years.
Channel Ten has reportedly put in an offer of $500 million over five years (including content such as the Big Bash League) which means there is pressure is on Nine to match the offer if it wants to continue it’s partnership with cricket which began back in 1977 through the World Series era.
It would be fascinating to see who gets the rights. It would be even more interesting if Ten jagged them away from Nine.
However, when reading a few of the reports, such as the Financial Review’s article titled “Ten bid to bowl Nine out” there has been language used such as “Ten offer for all Test and limited-over matches and domestic competitions such as the Big Bash League”. D
oes that mean Ten are going after the home Test and one day matches that Nine cover every summer, or is Ten going after every match that Australia is involved in, such as overseas matches?
It is more likely that Ten are going after Nine’s summer content, but better clarification from the reporting would be preferable.
Many industry insiders predict that Ten would not make any money from the cricket rights, which in turn will become a loss leader for the station.
Nine will struggle to piece together the required funds to starve off Ten.
Nine is part of the NRL TV deal with Fox to tune of $1.025 billion over five years.
The other worry for Nine, it is believed two US-based hedge funds that are Nine’s key shareholders may want the station to withdraw from the bidding .
Currently, Nine are paying $45 million a year.
If Nine gets the rights, they would pay at least $80 million for the international content, while the BBL will almost certainly go to Ten.
Channel Nine’s coverage has been satisfactory but certainly far from perfect.
The problem I have with Nine’s coverage is the same content year in, year out between the months of November to February.
The Australian cricket team does play cricket to other parts around the world.
As far as the commentary team is concerned they don’t really bother me as such. Except for maybe James Brayshaw, whenever he commentates on Victorian all rounder Glenn Maxwell he gets a little too excited.
I understand many other fans would be angst listening to certain commentators.
You could argue that the older commentators should have given up the microphone a long time ago, while the younger callers are not up to scratch. Even if Ten get the rights, I’m sure their set of commentators would have a couple that drive viewers around the bend.
For many years, Tony Greig was a commentator who would polarise viewers with his distinctive accent and persona.
Many cricket fans wanted him out of Nine’s commentary team. Then when Greig passed away, everyone was honouring him as a great commentator and a courageous individual through World Series cricket.
Eventaully, Riche Benaud (82) and Bill Lawry (76) will depart the box, hopefully under better circumstances compared to Greig.
At the end of the day, the type of cricket content on free-to-air in my view is far more important, then whoever calls the matches.
Many cricket fans across Australia want a change in cricket’s coverage. One would feel that if Nine gets the rights, it will be the same coverage and content as it has been over the last few decades.
However, if cricket moved to Ten, it may give the sport a jolt it so desperately needs, especially with Ten been noted for been a station that goes after the younger demographic.
As a massive cricket fan, the one thing I like to see is for every Australian Test match to be broadcasted on free-to-air, which includes every Test at home and abroad.
At the moment the Test matches that are broadcasted on free-to-air are home Tests and the Ashes series in England.
In the past that would have been difficult with just five primary channels (Nine, Ten, Seven, ABC, SBS).
Today with digital television, we have extra digital channels such as GEM, 7Mate and One for sport to be played when need be, without interfering with the normal programming on the primary channels.
If anything, if overseas Test matches did broadcast on free-to-air, there would be more prime time content, compared to the home summer content Nine’s been having for the last 36 years.
You would have Test matches on the sub continent beginning at roughly 3pm in the afternoon, and stumps be called around 10 or 10:30pm.
Tests from South Africa and England would start at 7:30pm, with the first session in ideal prime time. Test matches from the Caribbean may not entirely be beneficial, as they normally begin around midnight.
However, what I’m trying to say is, if there ever was a sport that could benefit from those digital channels, it is cricket.
It is about time cricket coverage moves into the 21st century by broadcasting every Test match on free-to-air.
Overseas one-dayers and Twenty20 should also be on free-to-air, but the shortened forms of the game are not exactly a high priority.
In my opinion, our national team should be on free-to-air, and not hidden on pay TV. In fact all of our national teams, whether it’s Kangaroos, Diamonds, Wallabies or Socceroos should be on free-to-air.
It is one thing to have domestic football codes like NRL, AFL, A-League on pay TV, and it’s another to have national teams on pay TV.
If either Nine or Ten broadcast every Test match home and abroad, then everyone should stand up and applaud.
But to my reckoning, it may seem unlikely as both networks are fighting over the same home summer content. If cricket does move to Ten with the BBL alongside it, it will be different.
But it could have been oh so much better. We will have to wait and see.
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