Robert Craddock: Inside the absurd relationship between Cricket Australia and Channel 7

Channel 7 and Cricket Australia’s broadcast rights deal was like Cristiano Ronaldo heading back to Manchester United. How did they make it work?

Brad and Angelina to get back together. Ian Botham to shout Ian Chappell dinner. Ronaldo to head back to Manchester United.

As absurd as the above may seem, don’t write them off.

This year may be only three days old yet already we have seen a relationship recover from a state which seemed just as troubled as any of the above.

Channel 7 will share the cricket rights again with Kayo and Fox Sports despite falling out with Cricket Australia so badly they took them to court to try and get out of the last year of their existing contract.

Even through the euphoria of a new seven year deal being announced, CA boss Nick Hockley confessed the cost of the court case was “millions.’’

So as Seven was taking legal action to get out of broadcasting the cricket next year they were quietly hustling away to chase the rights for the seven years that followed it.

Nick Hockley said the cost of the court case has been millions. Picture: Richard Dobson

It truly is one of the weirdest sporting relationships ever, a marriage of convenience in some ways and inconvenience in others.

Cricket Australia’s first call was to go with Fox then they had to find a compatible free-to-air partner. Channel 9 were so heavily committed with the tennis they didn’t have the cash and Paramount wanted it all or nothing and had little sports broadcasting pedigree.

That left only the station sitting on the other side of the courtroom.

It would have been an interesting experience to witness the moment when, like the last single pairing not up on the dance floor at a school formal, their suspicious eyes met across the room and they realized “look like it’s you and me baby.’’

Rights deals announcements are normally warm and fuzzy affairs but Channel 7 boss Lewis Martin had to face a series of tough questions about why, after a loveless four-year marriage, Seven decided to head back to the altar to renew their vows.

“There’s no doubt our relationship has been tested,’’ Martin said.

Lewis Martin, Nick Hockley, Adam Gilchrist and Foxtel Group CEO Patrick Delany. Picture: Richard Dobson

“And there’s nothing left unsaid I can assure you. One of the key things that kept us constant was that we were united in both the love and for the ambition to grow the game. That was critical and that’s why we are all standing here today.’’

He was bluntly asked, will you stop trashing cricket?

“We haven’t trashed cricket. We had our issues with Cricket Australia. And we’ve reset. They were challenging times, no doubt about it. But our love for the sport and love for cricket. Our strategy overall was to build a premier sport across 52 weeks of the year.’’

So does that mean no more public criticism of CA?

“No, no. and that’s in the past. And credit to Nick and our team. We actually realised we are the right fit. This is a great game. I just had a wonderful phone call with Bruce McAvaney. He believes we’re on the cusp of a golden era of cricket.’’

Billion-dollar bonanza: Fox, Kayo knock out US rivals

— Ben Horne, Exclusive

Cricket Australia’s TV rights deal is done and dusted, with Kayo and Foxtel seeing off international streaming competition to retain the rights alongside Channel 7 in a billion-dollar bonanza.

The deal is set to be announced on Test eve on Tuesday and will complete a season of triumph for Australia on and off the field.

It’s a major victory for Kayo and Foxtel to thwart the challenge posed by US giant Paramount in particular, who tabled a $1.5 billion offer to Cricket Australia to take all cricket rights exclusively.

This was a very different TV rights negotiations to ever before, because the battleground was all about streaming.

In the end, the quality and reach that Foxtel was able to demonstrate it has in Australia was the centrepoint of cricket’s five-year deal, because CA made a decision that Paramount and other rivals couldn’t guarantee anywhere near the same spread and influence across the country, despite offering a greater financial sugar hit.

Paramount contacted News Corp on Monday afternoon to deny the reported figure.

Kayo and Foxtel have seen off international streaming competition to retain the rights to cricket. Picture: Getty Images

It is Groundhog Day for Paramount-Channel 10, who were left at the altar by Cricket Australia, just as they were by the AFL earlier in the year, who also chose to stay with Foxtel and Seven.

Cricket Australia simply didn’t have the confidence in Paramount’s reach as a streaming service or Channel 10’s dwindling ratings as a free-to-air network.

Foxtel group now has long-term agreements with all Australia’s major sports, AFL, NRL cricket and Supercars to confirm its status as the leading sports destination for Australians and Australian sport.

Kayo’s streaming numbers are booming and in Fox, CA has a reliable streaming partner that gives the game’s core audience the most dedicated cricket broadcast in the world with its own channel.

Fox Sports commentator Adam Gilchrist. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Once CA bosses made the decision it must stick with Foxtel as the anchor point to securing the game’s future, the final step was to find the best free-to-air partner.

Channel 7 will drop its Federal Court legal action against Cricket Australia and peace and stability can return to the game as cricket goes back into business with partners that maximise the game’s reach around the country.

Although there has been lingering tension and at times hostility between Seven and Cricket Australia, the guns have been put down, and the network’s stronghold in the ratings dwarfed the bottoming out audience of Ten.

The Big Bash League which is currently humming this season, will be reduced in length under the new deal to sharpen up a product which has been revitalised this summer.

It’s understood Channel 7 and Fox Sports’ arrangement will remain largely the same from the current deal, with Fox to broadcast white ball internationals exclusively, and BBL and Test cricket to be shared.

Although CA bosses have left money on the table by sticking with Seven and Fox, the game has got an increase on its last $1.18 billion rights deal – a major victory given the broadcaster dissatisfaction that existed over the BBL and the rapidly changing market.

The Big Bash League is humming this season. Picture: Getty Images

There was a late attempt in the process to match Channel 9 with Fox Sports in the negotiations, but cricket’s 40-year original free-to-air partner ultimately wasn’t a major threat after snapping up the expensive Olympics TV rights from Channel 7.

It’s impossible to think there isn’t lingering tension and distrust between Channel 7 and Cricket Australia after their tumultuous partnership over the past few years.

But the signing of a new deal and the dropping of court action is a major step in the right direction.

A shortened Big Bash League gives broadcasters what they were after and there is renewed hope the competition can be restored to its glory years.

Test cricket was never a problem for Seven and the expectation is it will continue to flourish on Fox, Kayo and Seven.

It’s understood Channel 7’s digital channel 7plus will gain some streaming rights in conjunction with Fox and Kayo.