Shape of cricket on the line in broadcast deals

AN expanded Big Bash and more day-night Tests hinge on the next cricket broadcast deal, which moved a step closer to being realised last night.

Final bids for rights to show the next five or six years of Australian cricket had to be submitted by 5pm and renewed interest could ensure the landscape is changed forever.

Combinations of free-to-air, subscription television and multi-platform social media operators are among the bidders with estimates the rights could fetch more than $150 million a year.

That would amount to a 50 per cent increase on the previous deal, which netted Cricket Australia $100 million a year, including $20 million for the BBL. The price of the Twenty20 competition is expected to soar to $60 million a season.

Recent changes to the antisiphoning list have opened the door for World Cup matches, both 50-over and Twenty20, to be shown on pay television when played outside Australia.

But Test matches played by Australia, in Australia, as well as Ashes Tests in England remain protected and must be first offered to free-to-air TV broadcasters.

The potential does remain real for Big Bash games to be shown by Foxtel and it is believed the pay television operator has made a strong bid to shore up its summer content because the A-League has failed to deliver sufficient viewer numbers.

CA has offered a wide range of broadcast “packages” to be bid on, which include television and digital rights and officials have been buoyed by interest from all the major players.

But the evolution in how people consume their sports, with a big shift to online viewing, could open the door for major social media players like Facebook and Twitter.

The schedule for next summer, which includes Tests against both India and Sri Lanka, a one-day series against South Africa and the potentially expanded BBL, cannot be locked in until the broadcast deal is done.

After the submission deadline, it’s expected the final deal could be negotiated within the next month.

A CA spokesman said access to as many people as possible was at the core of its broadcast strategy.