Channel 7’s frustrating fight to access World Test Championship final broadcasting rights
Channel 7 is locked in an 11th-hour bid to show the World Test Championship final, but world No.3 South Africa’s standing in world cricket has exposed a stunning grey area in legislation.
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Frustrated Channel 7 executives are lobbying hard to overturn a bizarre loophole which will rob Australians of free-to-air access to the World Test Championship Final.
Seven has confirmed it is campaigning for the pinnacle of Test cricket to be placed on the anti-siphoning list so it can make an 11th hour bid for the rights, but as it stands it looks as though they have been rejected on the basis that Australia is facing a lesser opponent.
If Australia were playing heavyweights England or India in the final on June 11, the match would have had to be made available for free-to-air broadcasters, but because Pat Cummins’ team is facing South Africa, the match has been locked away exclusively for streaming giants, Amazon Prime – exposing a stunning grey area in the government legislation.
Channel 7 has privately expressed its frustration to the government department which runs the anti-siphoning laws, adamant that Australia playing in a WTC final in the country’s national sport should be available to free-to-air viewers, regardless of the opponent.
The International Cricket Council has done a broadcast deal with Amazon Prime through to 2027 for all World Cups and World Test Championship Finals, in an arrangement that has no allowance for FTA broadcasters in Australia.
Channel 7 showed Australia’s 2023 World Test Championship Final when it was against India and is miffed at being locked out for Australia’s bid to defend their title against South Africa at the home of cricket at Lord’s next month.
“The WTC Final in June 2023 was a huge success, not only for the Australian’s Men’s Test Team but for Seven and 7plus, which saw excellent broadcast and streaming numbers from passionate Aussie fans at home,” Seven Network head of cricket, Joel Starcevic said.
“We were thrilled to deliver all the action of an incredible Australian victory live and free to the Australian public, ensuring the game remains as accessible as possible for all Australian fans.
“It was the first game of cricket streamed live on 7plus and since then, Seven’s cricket streaming numbers have soared past 75 per cent growth year on year. Clearly 7plus has an engaged cricket loving audience and we would love nothing more than to showcase this climax to the 2023-2025 World Test Championship cycle once again, ahead of what is going to be another amazing summer of cricket with the men’s Ashes the headline act.”
The Government decision means Australian cricket fans will have to sign up with Amazon Prime for just five days of cricket.
With play at Lord’s starting at 8pm on the eastern seaboard every night, the first session would have been prime time viewing for a large audience of Australian sports fans on free-to-air.
Industry insiders have forecast only a fraction of the audience will watch on Amazon Prime as opposed to a free-to-air broadcaster which hurts the game in Australia.
Last year’s Twenty20 World Cup was on a nightmare time zone for Australian viewers beaming in from the West Indies, but the fact the tournament was broadcast exclusively on Amazon Prime didn’t help in penetrating with mainstream sports fans.
In its last broadcasting rights deal, Cricket Australia knocked back rights bids from streaming platforms in favour of the strong association the cricketing TV audience has with broadcasters Fox Cricket and Channel 7.
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