Cricket crisis: Cricket Australia sticks with interim boss, despite growing broadcast war with Seven
Cricket Australia bosses believe surviving the COVID-19 crisis is more important than the hunt for a full-time chief executive, despite a growing broadcast war with Seven Network.
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Cricket Australia is refusing to bow to Channel 7’s withering attack on its leadership, and won’t begin the hunt for a new full-time chief executive until next year.
Channel 7 boss James Warburton labelled CA’s current management “the most incompetent administration I’ve ever worked with”, and questioned how the organisation could not have a permanently appointed CEO heading into a summer which is set to push the game to its limits.
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Kevin Roberts was sacked as cricket’s chief executive back in June, but his interim replacement Nick Hockley will remain in the hot seat until at least the end of the coming summer before a worldwide search is conducted.
Warburton has described the current state of play with CA as a “train wreck”, but cricket administrators are standing behind Hockley, and believe he has the toughness, commercial sense and diplomatic skills to manage a relationship with Seven that has completely broken down.
It’s understood Cricket Australia’s board decided that the organisation’s entire focus and energy must be directed at mapping a way through the COVID-19 minefield this summer, and that the process for a full-time CEO could wait.
There was confidence in the fact that Hockley was experienced in managing competitions as head of the World Cup committee.
In Friday’s exclusive interview with News Corp, it was noteworthy that Warburton praised the approach that was being taken by former chief Roberts before his sacking, and questioned why finding a replacement hadn’t been a priority coming into such an unprecedented summer.
“It’s the most incompetent administration I’ve ever worked with, with no appointed full-time chief executive officer at a time when the sport needs strong leadership to steer through these extraordinary times,” said Warburton.
“We are forced to consider all our options including terminating the contract and we have put them on notice.
“Kevin Roberts recognised these challenges and had started to engage with his broadcast partners to ensure fans would see the best cricket had to offer in 2020-21. The Cricket Australia hierarchy sacked him.”
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Roberts was heavily criticised within cricket circles in the months leading up to his sacking for some of the pessimistic language he used to forecast the threat posed to the summer, with the concern being that “talking the game down” could be seized upon by broadcasters looking for rights reductions based on diminished value.
Another interpretation is Roberts has been proven right in some ways, at least with his warning that cricket was not out of the woods with COVID-19 just because the football codes had got back on the park following the initial wave of the pandemic.
Cricket Australia’s board has also been put under the microscope in the wake of Roberts’ axing, with Queensland officials calling for an overhaul.
The NRL committed to a similar plan to cricket after Todd Greenberg was let go as CEO earlier in the year, with Andrew Abdo still serving an apprenticeship as the interim chief before he is expected to be appointed on a permanent basis.
If Hockley isn’t already a strong chance to eventually be anointed cricket’s new front man, then he would be hard to dislodge if he can weather the raging storm that is threatening with broadcasters in their fight for rights reductions.
REVEALED: SECRET CLAUSE IN CRICKET’S TV WAR
A little known quality control contract clause could decide the fate of a $450 million television war between Cricket Australia and Channel 7.
It’s believed that Channel 7’s legal eagles have focused their attention on a clause which refers to an onus being on Cricket Australia to produce a season of competition that is equal to others around the world, and which cannot recede in quality from one summer to the next.
If the Big Bash League is stripped of more of its superstars than ever before due to the introduction of biosecurity hubs for international cricket, then Channel 7 feels it has a compelling case for a breach of contract.
Channel 7 chief executive James Warburton hinted at the clause in his explosive interview with News Corp on Friday, when he declared the network would not be supporting the upcoming season and was considering walking away from its contract altogether.
“Cricket Australia have an obligation to deliver a competition of no lesser standard than the past,” Warburton said on Friday.
“Put simply, this is not an acceptable product and we will not support the season.”
Cricket Australia deny the clause exists and is adamant there is nothing in the deal that refers to the quality of players, with interim chief executive Nick Hockley reiterating last week that cricket is committed to “delivering our side of the bargain which is a fantastic summer of cricket and (we will) work with all our partners to deliver the best possible summer.”
CA insiders claim that Seven’s crusade for a rights reduction originally centred on quantity of matches, and believe they only changed their tune to quality once it became apparent the full schedule was likely to happen – and are dismissing Seven’s bid as desperation motivated by the network’s struggling share price.
Fox Sports share Seven’s concerns over value
Every season the Big Bash League is robbed of some of its biggest Australian stars due to inevitable scheduling clashes with the international formats.
It’s often unavoidable and won’t change unless radical changes are made to how the summer is structured or the window in which the BBL is played is changed to give it its own exclusive fresh air like India’s all-powerful IPL.
However, both Channel 7 and Fox Sports are bracing for the player drain to hit at an unprecedented level this summer, due to the need for Australian squad sizes to be bigger to cater for biosecurity hubs, where reserve players cannot come in and out as they please, and are united in their displeasure.
“If we’ve got to have bigger squads because we can’t have guys coming in and out, there is a compromise. It will take some of our best players out of our domestic competitions,” said Australian head coach Justin Langer 10 days ago about the impending squeeze the BBL and Sheffield Shield is facing.
“ … Within Australian cricket we have to all work together on this because there are bigger squads required for different reasons. This is going to take a toll – perhaps on domestic cricket whether it’s Big Bash or Sheffield Shield. There’s going to have to be some give and take.”
However, TV giants Channel 7 and Fox Sports who pay nearly $200 million a year between them to broadcast cricket, are angry there’s no give from CA and won’t accept the arrangements unless there is a discount forthcoming.
Despite the escalating drama, cricket will return to television screens this week, after Fox Sports secured a new deal with the England Cricket Board until 2023 (excluding Ashes) that will ensure all Australia’s white ball matches against England starting on Friday are broadcast live.
It’s the Australian team’s first outing since COVID-19 decimated world sport.
HOW THE TENSION ESCALATED BETWEEN SEVEN, CRICKET AUSTRALIA
Australian cricket is in crisis and facing the prospect of a TV rights fire sale following Channel 7’s bombshell declaration that they are considering walking away from the game.
In an exclusive interview with News Corp, Channel 7 boss James Warburton said his network would not support the summer, while roasting Cricket Australia as a “train wreck” and its administration “stumbling, bumbling” and “incompetent”.
Fox Sports, cricket’s other broadcast partner, has remained tight-lipped, but are also angry about the Big Bash League being stripped of its star power and are set to challenge the stark difference between the $120 million they pay per year for rights, and what looks like being delivered this summer.
If Channel 7 terminates its contract, Cricket Australia options for a free-to-air partner would consist of Channel 9, who dumped cricket for tennis two years ago, Channel 10, who are financially strapped and still furious at how they were treated at the last negotiations and ABC and SBS who wouldn’t be able to stump up anywhere near the $75 million Seven are currently paying each year.
Another possibility is Fox Sports could end up settling on an even bigger bank of exclusive matches to increase the value of what they have already paid, and that could include Test cricket if under anti-siphoning rules, the rights are offered to free-to-air-networks and not accepted.
Due to COVID-19 BBL is set to lose more big-name stars than ever to international hubs, and cricket’s $1.2 billion TV rights deal is now on the verge of being challenged in court.
“Eight of the top 10 all-time run scoring batsmen who have played in the BBL will be unavailable for the competition. Nine of the top 10 all-time wicket-taking bowlers will be unavailable for the competition,” Warburton told News Corp.
“Put simply, this is not an acceptable product and we will not support the season. Cricket Australia have an obligation to deliver a competition of no lesser standard than the past.
“We paid a huge price and were promised the world. There is an obligation to deliver the best quality to the broadcasters. The BBL has been under huge pressure and Cricket Australia promised a full review and a reboot – they even called it BBL 2.0 for 2020-21.
“It’s the most incompetent administration I’ve ever worked with. With no appointed full time Chief Executive Officer at a time when the sport needs strong leadership to steer through these extraordinary times. It’s a train wreck. We are forced to consider all our options including terminating the contract and we have put them on notice.”
Doubling down on his attack on Cricket Australia’s board and administration from earlier in the week, Warburton indicated the network felt better supported by Kevin Roberts, before he was sacked as CEO in June.
Cricket Australia believe Channel 7 are trying to bully them and feel it’s posturing expected in hard-nosed negotiations.
“Cricket Australia greatly values the relationship with our broadcast partners. While disappointed by comments made in the media today, CA remains committed to delivering a full and compelling summer of cricket,” said a CA spokesman.
“ … We want to reassure fans here in Australia and around the world that we are well advanced in delivering our home summer of cricket.”
Broadcasters have seen a proposed schedule which includes a white ball series against India which would overlap the start of the BBL in early December, a white ball series against New Zealand which would impact towards the end of January, Australia A and CA XI matches in December which would take away another tier of players, and Test cricketers locked in their bubble until January 19.
“You can see our continued frustration with Cricket Australia,” Warburton told News Corp.
“In one breath they say “we will deliver the full schedule of cricket this summer”. In the next breath they admit that the BBL will not include the best Australian International players, let alone the best of the state cricketers that fire up the fans … It’s chaotic.
“What a bumbling, stumbling administration.
“How stupid to schedule International Cricket against the BBL and drain the resources of a competition already under pressure.
“It‘s a joke and it rips off the fans. Imagine the AFL starting a season without Dusty (Dustin Martin), Danger (Patrick Dangerfield), Nat Fyfe, Marcus Bontempelli or Toby Greene?
“Kevin Roberts recognised these challenges and had started to engage with his broadcast partners to ensure fans would see the best cricket had to offer in 2020/21. The Cricket Australia hierarchy sacked him.”
BBL PLAYER DRAIN
Big names who could miss large chunks of the season
Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Joe Burns, Alex Carey, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Riley Meredith, James Pattinson, Josh Philippe, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.
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Originally published as Cricket crisis: Cricket Australia sticks with interim boss, despite growing broadcast war with Seven