Now that the T20 World Cup is over, cricket fans’ attention turns to the domestic season and the Big Bash League, and the great news is that every match of the 2023 BBL season will be available to watch live in Australia.
Here’s the latest details about the live broadcast rights, streaming options, and where to watch Big Bash on TV.
BBL 2022/23 TV rights in Australia: The details
The Big Bash is one of the most watched, and most anticipated, events of the Australian summer and the 2022/23 version promises to continue this tradition.
This summer’s BBL is set to feature 61 matches in total from the opening game on Tuesday, December 13th, to The Final on Saturday 4th of February, with live Big Bash TV coverage available on Network Seven, Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
A contract dispute between Seven and Cricket Australia had threatened the future of BBL on Free to Air, but it now seems that the agreement will be honoured until the end of the 2023-24 season.
With a potential viewing crisis averted, the Seven Network have confirmed that they will have a total of 45 games available to watch live across Channel 7 and 7Mate, including the five-game finals series which will ultimately decide the 2022-23 champions.
However, you won’t be able to stream Big Bash simulcasts using Seven’s online digital platform 7Plus, because those rights have been granted exclusively to Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
Alternatively, Foxtel and Kayo Sports will have the broadcast rights to all 61 BBL games this season, available to watch live and ad-break free on Fox Cricket channel.
Both Foxtel and Kayo also have exclusive streaming rights for this season’s BBL matches. Foxtel via Foxtel Go or their Foxtel Now online TV service, and Kayo Sports through their formidable streaming platform.
Which broadcaster has the most live BBL coverage in 2022-23?
Channel Seven will show 45 BBL matches live this season, while Foxtel and Kayo Sports will have all 61 matches live on TV in the 2022/23 season.
That means there’s sixteen matches that won’t be available on free to air TV in Australia. Here’s a quick comparison of this year’s TV fixtures on the providers that will be telecasting the games live.
| Channel | Live Matches | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Channel 7 | Only 30 matches live | N/A |
| Foxtel | All 40 matches live | Yes – with subscription |
| Kayo Sports | All 40 matches live | Yes – with subscription |
Big Bash TV: What about BBL Streaming rights?
Under the 2022-2023 broadcast rights, channel seven is not allowed to simulcast BBL on their 7Plus streaming app.
To stream BBL matches live in Australia there’s currently three options. The Foxtel Go app (Foxtel IQ users), on the internet connected Foxtel Now platform, and with the Kayo Sports streaming service. Each requires a subscription, and are accessible to a wide variety of devices.
Is your favourite BBL team live on TV this week?
The first five games of the competition will be broadcast simultaneously on Channel 7 and Foxtel/Kayo, including the season opener between Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars (Dec 13th) at the Manuka Oval.
However, if you want to see the biggest game of the opening week, between the two sides leading the odds to win The Final, the Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers on Saturday, December 17th, you will need access to Foxtel or Kayo.
In addition to this important match, there are 15 other must-see games that will not be aired lived on Network Seven. Here’s how each team’s free to air television schedule stacks up, with the Thunder faithful scoring the extra match (11), and Scorchers fans coming out on the shortest end (9) of Seven’s TV fixtures.
For quicker reference, every Friday and Saturday match until the Finals are exclusive to Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
| Team | Games on Ch 7 | Team | Games on Ch 7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Strikers | 10 of 14 | Brisbane Heat | 10 of 14 |
| Hobart Hurricanes | 10 of 14 | Melbourne Renegades | 10 of 14 |
| Melbourne Stars | 10 of 14 | Perth Scorchers | 9 of 14 |
| Sydney Sixers | 10 of 14 | Sydney Thunder | 11 of 14 |
Which BBL matches are not on channel 7 and 7Mate?
As for which Big Bash 2022-23 matches won’t be shown live on the Seven Network this season, here’s all 16 games with the dates, times, teams and providers that will be carrying these games live.
Fortunately, here in Australia you have two options for watching these 16 games live and free: Foxtel Now and Kayo Sports, as both are currently offering free trials for new subscribers. Foxtel Now has a 10 day free trial, and Kayo Sports currently offers a 7 day trial. If they are used strategically, that’s nearly two weeks of live BBL action you can stream to your favourite mobile device.
A total of 16 BBL matches are not available on free to air: Here’s the list
| Match | Date/Time | Provider |
|---|---|---|
| Melbourne Stars vs Perth Scorchers | Friday 23 December 2022, 3:30 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
| Brisbane Heat vs Adelaide Strikers | Friday 23 December 2022, 7:00 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
| Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Renegades | Saturday 24 December, 2022, 3:30 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
| Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers | Friday 30 December 2022, 6:30 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
| Sydney Thunder vs Hobart Hurricanes | Saturday 31 December 2022, 3:30 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
| Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars | Saturday 31 December 2022, 7:00 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
| Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers | Friday 6 January, 2023, 6:30 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
| Melbourne Renegades vs Hobart Hurricanes | Saturday 7 January, 2023, 6:05 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
| Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat | Saturday 7 January, 2023, 9:05 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
| Sydney Thunder vs Perth Scorchers | Friday 13 January, 2023, 6:30 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
| Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat | Saturday 14 January, 2023, 4:00 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
| Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars | Saturday 14 January, 2023, 7:15 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
| Adelaide Strikers vs Perth Scorchers | Friday 20 January, 2023, 4:30 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
| Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes | Friday 20 January, 2023, 8:00 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
| Sydney Sixers vs Sydney Thunder | Saturday 21 January, 2023, 7:05 pm AEDT | Foxtel / Kayo exclusive |
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