Serious cash for new Big Bash deal

Andrew Wu
February 8, 2012

THE raging success of Cricket Australia's Twenty20 revolution this summer could deliver the game a $100 million windfall for its next TV rights deal and change the way fans across the country watch the Big Bash League.

A leading sports media analyst has told the Herald CA can expect to reap $80 million to $100 million for a five-year deal when its contract with broadcast partners Channel Nine and Fox Sports expires after next summer.

''If it keeps on going the way it's going it could even be north of that, significantly more,'' the analyst said.

That would still be well short of the $1.253 billion five-year deal the AFL signed last year but slightly superior to the seven-year $120 million agreement Football Federation Australia signed with Fox Sports for the A-League in 2006.

Channel Nine now pays $315 million over seven years for the right to show Tests, one-day and Twenty20 internationals in Australia, while Fox is the home of domestic competitions such as the Big Bash League, national one-day competition and the Sheffield Shield final.

CA refused to speculate on the value of their rights but spokesman Peter Young last night said: ''We are confident that it will be a lucrative tournament.''

The analyst said Big Bash League games could be split between different channels in a model similar to that of the AFL.

''You could even envisage things like simulcast between pay and free,'' the analyst said. ''Channel Nine will be there, it wouldn't surprise me if Channel Ten and Channel Seven were there as well. This will be a must retain for Fox Sports.''

CA has not ruled out such a scenario. ''We are interested in being as innovative as we can and the networks seem to be similarly inclined,'' Young said. ''This is new age, new era stuff in terms of what it looks like on the field and it will be the same off-field in terms of how it is distributed via television and other distributed channels.''

Fox is set to come under fierce pressure from free-to-air channels to retain the rights beyond next summer after the Big Bash League's ratings and crowd bonanza this season.

The average audience per game increased 82 per cent on last season, up from 155,000 to 282,000. The 448,000 who tuned into last month's final, up 56 per cent on the year before, made it the competition's second-most watched game this summer, behind only Shane Warne's debut for Melbourne Stars against Sydney Thunder on December 17.

The Big Bash League boasted 13 of the top 100 sporting events on pay TV last year, beating the AFL's eight but behind rugby, which had 19 thanks to the World Cup, and the NRL's 60.

The analyst said the Big Bash League, rather than drawing numbers away from its main summer rival, the A-League, had created a new market, which is a fillip for CA in its push to use Twenty20 to lure new fans to cricket.

''Clearly the Big Bash has taken the Australian sports market by storm,'' the analyst said.

''Australians are just embracing it because it is a great family sport with the shorter period of time.''


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/serious-cash-for-new-big-bash-deal-20120207-1r5fa.html#ixzz1lmQJkAaL

The analyst said the Big Bash League, rather than drawing numbers away from its main summer rival, the A-League, had created a new market,

when will the new deal be decided by?

Doesn't need to be done until the end of next season - but Buckley said earlier that they are already in negotiations and looking to wrap it up by June.

Have heard or read the same. But never heard about June! Source??

Was the BBL such a success?? really, well, considering the way it had its tires pumped up by the Mainstream media, I wonder how much of the contra 'coverage' that drove the 'success' will die out when people inevitably get bored of the new plaything that is T20 cricket? Remember when the 50 over game wasn't boring and staid? As a football; fan, I'm not worried by the BBL. Football continues to improve its lot year by year. We might never be the undisputed #1 Summer sport in this country, but we're doing a shedload better than we were 7 years ago. I am sure the new HAL broadcast agreement will take that into account.

Look at the unease of the little girls trying their hardest to find negatives in the cricket and reasons why it will fail instead of finding positives in the aleague and reasons why it will succeed.

Like a sulking school girl whom didn't get the biggest bag of lollies, " Derrrrrrrr, i don't want that big bag anyway cuz i don't like them cuz they ain't no good, so there." she says as she stands with her hands on her hips in a defiant pose. Then, as she walks off, she drops her pouting bottom lip so low she trips over it and falls flat on her face. The other girl shakes her head and giggles.

So, why is this comment needed? Rather then make a point, you're complaining that others aren't. Nicely done. =d>

The big risk T20 still face is that The big names aren't getting any younger.

So would a TV want to pay big bucks for a game that peaked at the start and can only really go one way?

This season the likes of Warnie and Hayden were the face of The Big Bash in Qld .I presume this was the case in other states? In case you didn't realise the current Austra
ian players were playing Test cricket while T20 was being played.So T20 was made up of old stars,state players and overseas stars.Warner the best T20 player ,allegedly,didn't play.
So what happens if the best players from australia continue to be unavailable?Whatbhappens when Warnie and Hayden can no longer hold a bat and a zimmer frame?Realistically ,the season can't be easily extended beyond one month,because of clashes with other cricket here and overseas.So that limits the availability of overseas stars.
So you see.T20 has limited ability to expand beyond one month and greater capacity to be relying on older and older players.The new stars will be locked up wit Australian commitments.
Having said all that ,The crowd and TV figures are good so I dont see any drastic demise.But equally I still see more downside than up.But thats my guess.