Cited as the most important single factor in Perth’s loss of the fifth Ashes Test, the needs of broadcasters will again be central to the bidding process for its new venue - and they have already indicated a strong preference for Melbourne or Sydney.
While Cricket Australia’s state association owners can clearly see the claims of Hobart to host the game, as a one sixth member of CA that has already lost a scheduled Test match this season, Foxtel and Seven are unambiguous in their preference for the final game to be played at the MCG or the SCG.
Broadcasters want the fifth Test played under lights in Melbourne or Sydney.Credit: Getty Images
The weight the two major broadcast partners have in the conversation, as part of their $1.18 billion deal with CA, has been underlined by the fact that the expressions of interest process to decide on the final Test venue makes it clear that the match will be a day-night game.
Eligible state governments, state associations, and venue managers are all being gauged on their interest in hosting a pink ball Test from January 14 to 18. A city and venue’s ability to meet the requirements of broadcasters is near the top of the list of criteria.
Accommodation, ease of travel with COVID-19 protocols, the creation of a shared COVID management plan with CA, and the projected commercial value of the game, are all meant to be outlined by competing venues.
“I do hope it is one of those iconic venues, and the true iconic venues are Sydney or Melbourne really, given the history of the game.”
Adam Gilchrist on 2GB radio
Victoria’s major events minister, Martin Pakula, has previously declared Melbourne to have an “undeniable” commercial case to hold the game at the MCG, based on the possibility of spinning off as much as $22 million in revenue.
However, the view of the Tasmanian government is that Blundstone Arena, which is relatively cheap to run, can turn over a tidy net return that the state government would be prepared to augment with a figure to match any projected return from the MCG hosting.
The day-night component is non-negotiable because Seven, in particular, has already been in the advertising market selling slots for a game in the Perth time zone - the equivalent of a third session in prime time each evening after the nightly news in the populous eastern states.
Equally, there has long been a strong view that the more prestigious and packed the venue, the better a broadcast product it can create, spinning off bigger television and streaming audiences for free-to-air and pay TV providers alike.
It’s a principle carried through by broadcasters back to the time of Kerry Packer and the World Series Cricket split, when crowds were not seen as an end in themselves, but as the best backdrop to a broadcast product that made its real money through advertising.
Adam Gilchrist, who shares top billing on Fox Cricket’s Ashes coverage with Shane Warne and Isa Guha, articulated something of the broadcast case for a second Ashes Test in Melbourne or Sydney on Tuesday.
“I do hope it is one of those iconic venues, and the true iconic venues are Sydney or Melbourne really, given the history of the game,” Gilchrist told 2GB Radio.
“I assume it’ll be a pink ball Test, a day-nighter, because that will slot in a similar time slot as what Perth would’ve been as a day game in Perth. So that gets it into prime time.
“I’d happily rock up to the SCG a couple times in a row to watch or commentate on Test cricket, particularly if it’s the Ashes.”
Either way, the broadcast of the game will be just as important to a decision as the location itself, something that the West Australian government found out to its chagrin.
“What changed was a full understanding of what the broadcast needs were, and the lack of time between Sydney and Melbourne,” WA Cricket chief executive Christina Matthews said. “We were aware of certain aspects of it, but the sheer numbers they bring for broadcast is not something we ever have to worry about. That wasn’t fully known until 10 days ago.”
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