‘Odd decision’: Cricket Australia boss questions Channel 9’s World Cup snub

Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley has questioned Channel 9’s “odd decision” not to broadcast the Women’s Cricket World Cup.

Alyssa Healy of Australia. Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images

Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley has questioned Channel 9’s “odd decision” not to broadcast the Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.

In January, the free-to-air broadcaster announced it had secured the television rights for this year’s Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia and next year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India.

Watch The 2022 Indian Premier League on Kayo. Every Match Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

However, the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand was not going to be televised by any free-to-air broadcaster after Channel 9 relinquished the rights. The 50-over tournament was instead streamed exclusively on Foxtel and Kayo.

“Nine’s sub license agreement with Foxtel only includes rights to the Men’s T20 World Cup,” a Channel 9 spokesperson confirmed at the time.

On Sunday, Australia reclaimed the coveted World Cup title after defeating defending champions England by 71 runs at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval, with Alyssa Healy rewriting the history books.

The Australian wicketkeeper smacked 170 from 138 balls, the largest individual score in a World Cup final — but Healy’s masterclass wasn’t on any Australian free-to-air channel.

Australian captain Meg Lanning holds the World Cup trophy alongside her teammates. Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP

Speaking at the SportNXT conference on Wednesday, Hockey criticised Channel 9’s decision to bypass an opportunity to showcase the historic final.

“That was an odd decision, wasn’t it? I think it was their loss,” he said, as reported by The Age.

“Fox Sports had a dedicated channel throughout the World Cup and put it all in front of the paywall, so I think everyone could watch.

“This is one of the most successful teams we’ve ever produced in any sport, and I was fortunate to be there in Christchurch.

“I think what we’re seeing with our partnerships, globally with broadcast deals, is there is a really genuine value proposition. I think Channel 9’s loss was Fox’s gain.”

Hockley believes that broadcasters will be fighting to showcase major women’s international cricket in the near future.

“I think they (broadcasters) are changing their mind,” he said.

“This year was the first year the WBBL every game was broadcast. We’ve seen an increase in the number of matches televised year-on-year. Certainly, the trajectory it’s on, it’s very much changing.

“I’m confident the numbers the game is attracting, the quality of the sport itself, the fact the standards are rising is going to mean there’s more and more competition and demand for, in our context, cricket for women and girls.

“We’re just waiting for the metrics to come out now, but that tournament broadcast to an absolutely massive global audience.

“I think we’re just going to see more and more competition (from broadcasters) in the future.”

Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley. Photo by William WEST / AFP

After Channel 9 confirmed it would not broadcast the 2022 Women’s World Cup, Healy and Australian vice-captain Rachael Haynes both expressed their disappointment.

“Not having it on free-to-air, it kind of excludes a fair chunk of our population who don’t want to pay or can’t afford to pay for subscription TV,” Healy said.

“It’s a little bit of a slap in the face to say we’re not commercially viable … it’s a little bit hard to take in that regard.

“With fans unable to travel, viewerships is probably more relevant than bums on seats right now.”

Haynes echoed her teammate’s remarks: “It sends a really powerful message to see our female athletes have an opportunity to share in the spotlight. The visibility is extremely important. I am disappointed it’s not on free-to-air TV in Australia.”