Last Updated on 4 years ago by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: Which broadcaster will host Australian cricket in India? | Which broadcaster will show Australia matches in India?
Cricket Australia (CA) has confirmed that Disney Star has bagged the media rights to broadcast Australian cricket throughout India and other Asian territories.
The seven-year agreement will begin from 2023 onwards as Star will televise the international games played in Australia along with the men’s and women’s versions of the Big Bash League (BBL). Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) are the present right holders of the same.
Star the host broadcaster for Australia matches in India after bagging the IPL rights
Star’s recent victory of the TV broadcast rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) sparked hopes within the CA that it will bring about extensive cross-promotion of the BBL.
Nick Hockley, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CA, expressed that Disney Star is synonymous with cricket in India. He gleefully talked about the excitement of working with the broadcaster to ‘showcase the outstanding cricket played in Australia every summer’.
“The magnitude of this association is testament to the enduring rivalry and respect that exists between Australian and Indian teams, the excitement and popularity of WBBL and BBL, and the high regard of Australian cricket in India and global markets more broadly,” Hockley was quoted in a report by CricBuzz.
He added, “There was significant interest in our rights and we are very grateful to our current rights holder Sony for their partnership which will continue throughout this season.”
On the other hand, Disney Star will be delighted at securing these rights as they lost out to the Reliance Industries-backed Viacom 18 in the digital broadcasting race for the upcoming cycle of the IPL in the media rights auction last month.
“Disney Star has been delighting millions of Indian fans by showcasing marquee cricket across our linear and digital platforms,” Sanjog Gupta, Head of Sports at Disney Star, was quoted in an official report by the CA.
Gupta added, “Some of the most memorable moments for Indian fans have been produced in Australia and we look forward to elevating many more such moments with our unique brand of story-telling, programming, local activations and tech-enabled experiences in association with Cricket Australia.”
Meanwhile, CA is embroiled in a legal tussle with its home broadcaster Channel Seven back in Australia. The free-to-air television network kicked off a course case against the CA whilst citing several breaches in their agreement.
