Foxtel boss Patrick Delany has conceded that this summer of sport will be “a bit bumpy” for the pay TV company, as lower audiences are expected for the cricket series against Pakistan and West Indies compared with drawcards such as India and England.

Foxtel, which is majority-owned by News Corp, reported just 2000 new paying subscribers to its sports platform Kayo at the end of September, compared with the previous quarter. Its total paying subscribers on Kayo, Binge and its pay-TV business fell by 77,000 to 4.58 million. Mr Delany said the next quarter would be tougher.