In a landmark deal that will change the landscape of Australian television, Foxtel and Seven West Media have joined together, forking out $1.2 Billion for the Australian cricket broadcasting rights.
The move has generally been received well by Cricket fans in Australia, but there is one glaring omission which will affect non-Foxtel subscribers and you can read all the details in the summary below.
Cricket Australia Broadcasting Changes
One result of this new broadcasting agreement non-Foxtel subscribers, those who only have access to free to air, will no longer be able to watch the shorter forms of the international game, as Fox Sports have gained exclusive rights to ODI’s and T20I’s. The redeeming feature for these fans, however, is that Channel Nine are still under contract to show the 2019 World Cup in the UK and the 2020 T20 World Cup, meaning Australian Cricket free to air viewers won’t need to miss out on these huge events.
This deal brings to an end the long partnership between Channel Nine and Australian cricket. The partnership had been running for four decades, harking back to the World Series when Kerry Packer transformed the game forever. Now though, it will be Foxtel showing every ball of every over for all forms of the game, including T20 Cricket matches, and they will be the only TV channel in the world to provide that service.
To mark the occasion later this year a dedicated channel, FOX Cricket, will launch as the new home of the most comprehensive and innovative cricket coverage in Australia. The Foxtel line-up will include all Aussie men’s Test Matches, One-Day and T20 Internationals plus every game of the Big Bash League televised live, as well as all Australian women’s Internationals and twenty-three WBBL matches broadcast live.
Officially kicking off with the Australia v New Zealand Women’s T20 on September 29, the Australian summer alone will see six International Test Matches, six ODI’s and four T20I’s, plus much more, and you can stream each match live online with the Foxtel Now trial.
Cricket Australia 2018 TV Fixtures
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Australian Men: 5 Game ODI Series vs England | June 13-24 |
| Australian Men: 1-off T20I vs England | June 27 |
| Australian Women: 3 Game T20I Series vs New Zealand | September 29-October 5 |
| Australian Men: 3 Game ODI Series vs South Africa | November 4-11 |
| The Women’s T20 World Cup | November 9 – November 24 (AEDT) |
| Australian Men: 1-off T20I vs South Africa | November 17 |
| Australian Men: 3 Game T20I Series vs India | November 21-25 |
| Australian Men: 4 Game Test Series vs India | December 6-January 7 |
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