Channel 9 promises to unleash a barrage of new shows against rival Seven if it can’t get tennis early

CAN any television network survive a summer without sport? Rivals Channel 9 and Seven are at odds over tennis and cricket rights, and this stoush is getting ugly.

CHANNEL 9 has fired a warning shot at rival Seven, saying it will unleash a barrage of new programs if it doesn’t have any sport this summer.

But Seven has hit back - saying that any television network without sport over summer is doomed.

Nine executives had been hoping that Seven might decide to end its contract to screen the summer of tennis, including the Australian Open, a year early after gaining cricket rights.

BLOCKBUSTER CRICKET RIGHTS DEAL

‘RUBBISH’ TENNIS COVERAGE SLAMMED

But those hopes appear to have been dashed in the past week with Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner signalling that the network wants to screen both sports this summer.

If Nine has no sport in the summer months it will create a war chest of around $50 million to plough back into new shows.

There has already been speculation that Big Brother, which Sonia Kruger hosted on Nine, could be revived.

Sonia Kruger hosting Big Brother.

“The big risk for them (Seven) is that if we don’t have to spend on tennis or cricket we will have dollars to spend on new formats and trying some new content over summer,” a Nine spokesman said.

Seven has scoffed at the threat with a representative saying: “A network without sport over summer is in real trouble”.

The slanging match comes amid speculation as to whether Seven can adequately service its cricket as well as its tennis contracts given multiple schedule clashes between the two sports.

Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland will be expecting premium main channel coverage of Tests and Big Bash games on Seven after the network, together with Fox Sports, inked a massive $1.2 billion deal.

Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley has already indicated that he expects the Australian Open to be screened on Seven’s main channel and not relegated to 7 Two, 7mate or 7Flix.

“Tennis Australia is currently contracted with the Seven Network and we will be discussing future plans with both Seven and Nine in the coming weeks,” a Tennis Australia spokeswoman said.

But Seven representatives say that sort of thinking is old-fashioned and that all four channels should be treated equally.

Tennis Australia’s Craig Tilley wants the Australian Open televised on Seven’s main channel.

Seven recently screened the Winter Olympics and the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games across multiple channels concurrently.

A switch of tennis from Seven to Nine is far more complicated than it seems. Insiders say it isn’t a case of the rival networks striking a deal.

Instead, it is a two-pronged process that involves the rights reverting back to Tennis Australia and then being resold.

2018 Australian Open Champion Roger Federer after winning his 20th Grand Slam singles title. Picture: Ian Currie

One scenario would see Seven decide to relinquish the tennis rights because it either wanted to save money or didn’t feel that it could give the sport premium main channel coverage now that it has cricket.

Another scenario would see Tennis Australia request that Seven relinquish the rights, because it had concerns about the level of premium coverage.

Only if one of those things two happened could Nine then enter the picture and strike a one-year add-on deal.

But Nine insiders have signalled that any one-year deal would be well below the $60 million per year it has forked out for its recent five-year deal.

That is because fast-tracking production, including the rush signing of commentators, would bring significant extra costs.

Any new Nine programs would come at a time when Ten will also be without summer sport having lost the Big Bash cricket.

MORE NEWS:

EUROVISION 2018: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

12 MELBOURNE COMMUTERS TO AVOID