Amid Uncertainty Over Test Cricket’s Future, Australia’s Governing Body Lands Billion Dollar Broadcast Deal

It’s a monster broadcast deal that will make many other cash-stricken cricket nations extremely envious. After lengthy negotiations, Cricket Australia announced a seven-year billion dollar broadcast deal ($1.5 billion AUD) with incumbents Seven Network (free-to-air) and Foxtel (cable).

The deal puts to bed a bitter dispute between Seven and CA with the broadcaster withdrawing legal proceedings stemming over Covid-19 affected seasons and what it claimed was a lack of quality in the Big Bash League.

With its remarkable popularity having simmered and facing competition from cashed-up T20 start-up leagues in South Africa and the UAEUAE
, the number of games in the BBL will be reduced after the existing six-year deal ends in 2024.

The new deal, running through to 2031, is an increase of 10.5 per cent per year with CA keen for financial security. While the state of cricket in Australia is undeniably thriving – reflected in a renaissance for its all-conquering Test team, powerhouse women’s team and still strong BBL – the same can’t be said for many other cricket nations.

Outside of the ‘Big Three’ cricket nations of Australia, India and England – all of whom boast billion dollar broadcast deals – there is uncertainty over international cricket.

While T20 cricket, played over three hours, has become the sport’s most popular format amid a boon of franchise leagues, the Test and ODI formats are faced with question marks.

Powerbrokers within the ICC and its board have long believed that Test cricket was destined to be played among just the ‘big three’ countries and perhaps one or two others. Those prognostications were well before the ‘IPL satellite’ T20 leagues emerging in South Africa and UAE, which will both launch this month.

Top players outside of the three power nations are increasingly choosing to play in these leagues over representing their countries and playing international cricket, which traditionally was the most lucrative pathway.

While New Zealand currently plays a Test match in the tough conditions of Pakistan, star quick Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme are on the T20 circuit as gun for hires. You can’t really blame them with those financial rewards so much better than countries with meek broadcast deals can offer.

One such country is Zimbabwe, which is about to end an 18-month Test drought. They played their first Test match just over 30 years ago but have only played 115 overall. They are desperate to start playing more regularly and particularly want to play Australia/England/India who they haven’t met in Test cricket since the mid-2000s.

But Zimbabwe aren’t commercially attractive to the powerhouses – and their broadcast partners more pertinently – and it’s difficult for them to host Tests, which are expensive to stage. They have a minuscule television deal of about a million year, a laughable figure compared to CA’s newly-minted bonanza.

It means Zimbabwe, like most other cricket nations, are reliant on funds from the International Cricket Council. But the ‘big three’, especially India, pull the strings on the ICC’s board, where the real power lies.

In the ICC’s current cycle surplus from 2015-2023, according to documents seen, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) receive $371 million well ahead of England ($127 million) while seven Full Members headed by power Australia are allocated $117 million. Zimbabwe receive $86 million, while newest Full Members Afghanistan and Ireland are granted $37 million each.

The ICC’s new media rights deal is in the works with a framework set to be presented to the board in March and likely sorted by mid-year, according to sources. There is the expectation for a bigger media deal for the ICC and ultimately more money for all countries, although a reduction in the BCCI’s slice is fanciful.

“Everyone wants an improved allocation…including India,” an industry source told me.

That’s well and good as India, of course, generate most of cricket’s revenue. But with countries unable to prop themselves up, it just means that we’re headed for Test cricket to be reduced considerably.

Just as predicted.