Foxtel and Nine Entertainment could combine for cricket rights bid

Cricket Australia is hopeful of a combined play for broadcast rights, which would beat a big bid from Network Ten.

Competition is heating up for cricket broadcast rights.

Foxtel and Nine Entertainment are contemplating joining forces to make a late play for cricket broadcast rights in a move that would shut out rival Network Ten from all the big sports in Australia.

The cricket is currently telecast by Foxtel, which holds all rights across Test matches, limited-over internationals and the Big Bash League, and Seven West Media, which has the free-to-air rights.

But Seven is taking legal action against Cricket Australia and has indicated it would be willing to give up the rights, which expire at the end of the 2023-24 summer, under a record six-year $1.18bn deal signed in 2018.

Seven’s indifference towards cricket has left open the chance for Nine to make a shock return to the sport, which it broadcast for 40 years before switching to tennis four years ago.

If Nine and Foxtel were to be successful in their quest for cricket rights, it would mean cricket authorities have stumped for the combined bid over what is now the highest offer on the table from Ten and its US owners Paramount.

Ten is understood to have lodged a bid with CA worth about $210m annually, which would see Test matches shown on its free-to-air network, along with some other forms of the sport, which would also be telecast on its Paramount+ streaming service.

Foxtel and Seven have also lodged bids, and Nine has expressed interest, but none have reached the financial level of the Ten offer.

Nine and Foxtel’s combined bid could be worth up to $200m annually, as cricket authorities lobby networks to go as close as possible to matching the Ten offer.

As was the case with the AFL earlier this year, cricket executives are reluctant to sign a deal with Ten, which has lower ratings than Seven and Nine and whose Paramount+ service has struggled for viewers.

Sources have indicated Nine and Foxtel management have held discussions about sharing the rights in what would likely be a similar arrangement that Foxtel and Seven currently have.

Nine would likely have rights to Test matches, and Foxtel some or most of the Big Bash and limited-overs international games.

Complicating discussions is Nine’s keenness to involve its Stan streaming business if it were to gain rights.

It would also want to stream games via its 9Now digital service.

Another potential complication is Nine doubling down on tennis when it clinched a $500m cash and contra extension with Tennis Australia in November. Nine has to show the Australian Open on its main channel over two weeks each January, and lead-in tournaments held earlier in the summer.

Cricket Australia put four broadcast packages on the market after the AFL agreed to a record-breaking, seven-year $4.5bn deal with Seven and Foxtel in September.

Ten had lobbed a huge bid for all AFL rights, but AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan eventually signed with Seven and Foxtel.

Nine has rights to the NRL and rugby union. Ten only has rights to soccer’s A-League and Socceroos and Matildas games.

Cricket Australia called for interest in a package around Test matches, and also Australian international limited-over matches, including Twenty20 games, and a package each of Big Bash League and Women’s BBL matches. The BBL and WBBL are likely to go to one bidder.

Seven is currently paying about $75m annually for its free-to-air rights, including most BBL games, but is also mired in a legal dispute with Cricket Australia over the quality of matches in its current deal that could drag out until at least the middle of next year.

Officials from the International Olympic Committee have also ­recently visited Australia to drum up interest for the rights for events through to the Brisbane 2032 Games.

Cricket Australia authorities had been hopeful of clinching a new deal by Christmas, but it is now increasingly likely discussions with interested networks could drag into the new year and potentially extend through most of the summer.

Spokespeople for Cricket Australia and the networks would not comment.