Cricket

Latest Features

While Sri Lanka Cricket has closed a protracted sales process for its global media rights from 2020 to 2023, the board’s income for the period is yet to be fully determined and will be affected by a shifting international cricket calendar.

Six second-tier cricket boards are facing difficult market conditions as they attempt to sell their global rights, with existing problems exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Indian pay-television broadcaster Star is poised to strengthen its grip on cricket broadcasting in the subcontinent by beating incumbent Sony to the rights for Cricket South Africa content.

Disney’s decision to refocus Star India’s Hotstar OTT platform on its domestic market paved the way for the return of Indian Premier League cricket rights in the UK to pay-television broadcaster Sky.

Media company Star India’s plans to use the Indian Premier League to develop its Hotstar OTT platform in the UK drove pay-television broadcaster Sky’s loss of the property, SportBusiness Media understands.

Indian pay-television broadcaster Star has finalised a deal with Cricket South Africa for broadcast rights in the Indian subcontinent, the rest of Asia, the Middle East and North Africa

Sri Lankan state-owned broadcaster ITN has acquired domestic rights to the Lanka Premier League

Indian broadcaster Sony Pictures Sports Network has signed 15 sponsors for India’s cricket tour of Australia.

The International Cricket Council has initiated a Request for Proposals for the production and distribution of live streams to more than 500 ICC Pathway matches, SportBusiness understands

Features

Global Sports Commerce has solidified its influence in the world of T20 cricket, retaining global media rights to the Pakistan Super League alongside its consortium partner Blitz Advertising

Sony’s deal for Mzansi Super League rights in the Indian subcontinent carries no upfront fee and exists to facilitate sponsorship sales and build Indian interest in the league.

South African public-service broadcaster SABC has thanked Cricket South Africa for its “generosity” after the two parties struck a commercial rights deal with no upfront fee.

Cricket South Africa has decided not to cancel its domestic T20 competition – set to start on November 9 – despite the absence of a media-rights deal, major stars or even a name.

Cricket South Africa has finally delivered a workable concept for a new domestic T20 competition via a joint venture with pay-television broadcaster SuperSport.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has sold its rights separately in the Caribbean for the first time, earning a strong increase on their previous allocated value in the region.

Australian media-rights experts believe Foxtel and Seven’s deal for Cricket Australia rights works for all parties, despite Foxtel bearing the brunt of a 67-per-cent fee increase

The Indian Premier League T20 competition is being broadcast in Australia again after a six-season hiatus, via a deal with Fox Sports.

Fierce competition helped the Board of Control for Cricket in India earn a substantial increase in the value of its global media rights last week.

Indian pay-television broadcaster Star India this month became the latest beneficiary of beIN Sports’ move to acquire cricket content in the Middle East and North Africa.

Two more India tours have not prevented a fall in the value of England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) media rights in the Indian subcontinent.

Indian pay-television broadcaster DSport’s acquisition of rights to the Nidahas Trophy T20 tri-series between Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh is its most significant deal since its 2017 launch.

India’s listed-events legislation is expected to widen to include the Indian Premier League early next year, a move likely to prompt a legal challenge from Star India.

The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) roughly doubled the value of its media rights in the Middle East and North Africa last month after carving them out from a future Asian deal.

Cricket Australia expanded its relationship with in-flight/in-ship broadcaster Sport 24 last week, to include coverage of this year’s Ashes Test series.

BeIN Media Group agreed its first deal for cricket rights last week, marking a notable change in strategy and a clear statement of intent it will go after content traditionally held by its Middle-Eastern rival OSN.

Two scheduled India tours has helped the Pitch International agency finally sell New Zealand Cricket rights in the Indian subcontinent after three years without a deal.

Cricket Australia’s media rights in the Indian subcontinent have significantly dropped in value in a new long-term deal with Sony Pictures Networks India.

The Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 competition begins this Saturday with limited international coverage due to a dispute over who can legally sell the rights.