Cricket Australia: Test team’s disastrous form hurts hopes of $1 billion TV rights deal

EXCLUSIVE: Cricket Australia’s hopes of smashing the $1 billion mark in their upcoming TV broadcast rights deal have been bowled over by the national team’s disastrous form slump.

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CRICKET Australia’s hopes of smashing the $1 billion mark in their upcoming TV broadcast rights deal have been bowled over by the national team’s disastrous form slump.

Ratings on national broadcaster Channel Nine have slumped 25 per cent during the current South African series at a shocking time for the sport, potentially wiping tens of millions of dollars from the next TV contract. Test cricket now ranks behind Big Bash cricket and one-day games for ratings.

TV ratings have slumped 25 per cent as the Australia test’s teams woes continue.

Cricket Australia bosses are about to embark on negotiations with the three commercial networks 7, 9 and 10 and pay TV provider Fox Sports. The broadcast rights were once so valuable that it inspired the late Kerry Packer to launch his own breakaway rebel game World Series Cricket in the ’80s to ensure the game stayed on Channel Nine.

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The current five-year $590 million deal expires at the end of next summer.  With the NRL and AFL rights increasing by 70 per cent last year, cricket administrators were hoping to burst through  the  $1  billion  mark for the first time.

Australia’s disastrous form has hampered Cricket Australia’s hopes of securing a billion dollar TV rights deal.

Cricket Australia’s general manager of media and marketing, Ben Amarfio, admits the team’s five straight Test ­losses have not helped.

“We’re not used to losing on our home decks like this,” Mr Armafio said. “No one wants to ever see ratings going south but if you look closely, we’re still winning the sessions. We’re still the number one show.”

In a huge change to our viewing habits, the T20 Big Bash cricket is now challenging and in some cases beating Test cricket for viewers. Channel 10 paid $100 million for the Big Bash rights three years ago. The price has since trebled in value because of the game’s appeal to a wider demographic of women and families and regular million-plus ratings figures.