Women’s Cricket World Cup to be shown on Kayo for free after backlash
Cricket fans won’t have to pay to watch the Women’s World Cup after the tournament was initially snubed from free-to-air TV.
Cricket fans can breathe a sigh of relief after it was confirmed Aussies won’t have to pay to watch this year’s ICC Women’s World Cup.
There was uproar over the weekend when Channel 9 announced it would broadcast the men’s T20 World Cup later this year, but not the Women’s World Cup.
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The 2017 World Cup and the 2020 T20 World Cup were shown on free-to-air TV, but the Women’s World Cup, which gets underway in New Zealand in March, will not be televised by a free-to-air broadcaster after Channel 9 relinquished the rights.
Cricket fans slammed the decision and Australian wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy labelled the snub a “slap in the face”.
But thankfully streaming service Kayo has stepped in and will broadcast every match on Kayo Freebies, meaning cricket fans can watch all the action across the ditch in New Zealand without a paid subscription.
Removing the coverage from behind a paywall opens up the tournament to a wider audience, particularly to Australians who aren’t able to pay for subscription television.
Healy welcomed the move from Kayo to make the World Cup accessible for all cricket fans.
“This is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world and I’m thrilled that fans will now have an opportunity to see us perform on the biggest stage and make them proud,” she said.
“The way people watch cricket is changing with younger fans in particular choosing to stream cricket on their mobiles or tablets.
“This initiative taps into that next generation and helps widen our audience significantly. “Hopefully they can get behind us and cheer us home.”
Kayo CEO Julian Ogrin said placing the tournament on Freebies reinforced Kayo’s commitment to supporting and growing audiences for women’s sport.
“The Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020 produced incredible action and attracted large audiences,” he said.
“With more and more fans now choosing to stream live cricket, this is another opportunity for us to show our support for the Australian women’s cricket team and to showcase Kayo to every Australian who loves cricket.”
Now that almost every Australian has internet access, the Kayo initiative makes women’s cricket accessible to all and brings a new generation of fans who love streaming to women’s cricket.
Kayo Freebies can be accessed by downloading the Kayo Sports app or visiting www.kayosports.com.au/freebies. Kayo Freebies are free with no credit card details required.
Australia are reigning T20 World Cup champions but will be seeking redemption in the ODI World Cup after they were knocked out in the semi-finals of the last edition in 2017 by India, thanks to an astonishing century from Harmanpreet Kaur.
Fox Sports’ live coverage of the Women’s Ashes Series is also streamed live on Kayo, including every ball of the Canberra Test, set to start on Thursday.
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