Nine ‘stretched to the limit’ on cricket rights

Original article by Vesna Poljak
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 3-May-17

Nine Entertainment Company CEO Hugh Marks says cricket coverage is still important to the Nine Network, but he concedes that the group can only afford to pay so much for the broadcasting rights. Marks adds that unlike sports such as AFL and NRL, cricket does not have a fixed scheduled each year and matches are often affected by the weather. He also says Nine must start delivering a return on its investment in other sports.

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NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, BIG BASH LEAGUE, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

Don’t get caught by cricket deal, Nine told

Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 20 : 27-Apr-17

Nine Entertainment Company’s broadcasting rights deal with Cricket Australia expires at the end of 2017. Sources have indicated that Nine will only strike a new deal that represents "fair value" for shareholders. Nine paid $A450m for its current five-year deal, and some analysts believe that it is losing between $A30m and $A40m a year as a result of the deal. Eric Choi of UBS says Nine should abandon the broadcasting rights or push for a deal that provides additional matches at no extra cost.

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NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Seven and Ten battle it out for top sports bragging rights

Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 16-Jan-17

The Ten Network’s coverage of the Big Bash League will directly compete with the 2017 Australian Open in prime-time on the Seven Network. A total of nine BBL matches will clash with the Australian Open coverage, compared with just four in 2016. Seven has also launched a paid digital service to complements its free-to-air coverage of the Australian Open, while highlights will also be streamed via Twitter.

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TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, BIG BASH LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS, TWITTER INCORPORATED, KIA MOTORS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, DAVIDE CAMPARI-MILANO SPA, WILLIAM HILL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BLACKMORES LIMITED – ASX BKL

Over $5billion in car sales next year could be decided over Big Bash cricket

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Dec-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that nearly 570,000 Australians plan to buy a new car in 2017, and 21 per cent of them say they "almost always" watch Twenty20 cricket on TV (compared with 16 per cent of all Australians aged 14+). The survey, which was carried out in the year to September 2016, also shows that these dedicated Twenty20 viewers have an average budget of $43,000 for their next car, compared with $38,500 among new car buyers overall. Meanwhile, compared to the average new car buyer in the market, Twenty20 fans are 28 per cent more likely to agree that they would like a car that handles like a racing car, 23 per cent are more likely to say they will only be buying a car that is fun to own, and 21 per cent are more likely to regard themselves as a car enthusiast.

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Cricket’s pitch to reduce curbs

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 23 : 12-Dec-16

Cricket Australia has declined to comment on claims that it will push for Test and limited-overs matches against less popular nations to be removed from the anti-siphoning list. Cricket Australia has previously signalled its view that some one-day international matches should be removed from the list, which requires all international cricket matches that are played in Australia to be broadcast on free-to-air TV. In contrast, pay-TV group Foxtel has exclusive rights to some AFL and NRL matches.

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CRICKET AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN

Cricket Australia signs deal with NBC in international Big Bash bid

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 11-Jul-16

Australia’s domestic Twenty20 cricket series, the Big Bash League, will be broadcast by US cable TV channel NBC Sports Network. The one-year deal will make 10 BBL matches available to a potential audience of around 83 million US homes. Cricket Australia has also secured a new five-year deal with US cable channel Willow covering all forms of the sport. Negotiations for new broadcasting deals in New Zealand and Asia are the next items on Cricket Australia’s agenda, ahead of negotiations for a new local broadcasting deal.

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CRICKET AUSTRALIA, NBC SPORTS NETWORK, WILLOW, BIG BASH LEAGUE, COMCAST CORPORATION, ASIAN TELEVISION NETWORK, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD

Networks up ante on cricket TV rights

Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 28-Mar-16

The Nine Network’s current five-year deal broadcasting rights deal for international cricket matches played in Australia is worth $A450m. Some experts believe that the next rights deal could be worth around $A700m, while broadcasting rights for the domestic Twenty20 competition could potentially top $A50m after the ratings success during the 2015-16 summer. Meanwhile, TV networks are looking at options for offsetting the ratings impact of rain-affected matches.

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NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, TEN REN TEA (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS, INTERNATIONAL CRICKET COUNCIL, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, DENTSU AEGIS MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, OPTIMUM MEDIA DIRECTION PTY LTD, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD

Big Bash can get bigger, says Ten

Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 25-Jan-16

Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition has been a ratings success for the Ten Network, with each match in the 2015-16 season attracting an average of 1.02 million viewers. Ten’s head of sports David Barham is confident that the network can gain even higher ratings in 2016-17. Ten has paid $A20m a year under its current rights deal, and some industry observers have suggested that the next BBL broadcasting deal could be worth at least $A50m a year.

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TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, BIG BASH LEAGUE, CRICKET AUSTRALIA

Nine batting for stronger Windies at Boxing Day, new year Tests

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 21-Dec-15

Carat Australia CEO Simon Ryan is confident that the Nine Network will attract good ratings for its cricket coverage during the 2015-16 summer. The First Test against the West Indies in Hobart finished two days early, but advertising packages have been pre-sold across the summer’s cricket coverage, so Nine’s revenue will not be affected if the remaining two Tests do not run for five days.

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NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, CARAT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN

Nine strikes a secret cricket deal with SBS

Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 18-Dec-15

Regional broadcaster WIN Corporation has yet to finalise a new affiliation agreement with Nine Entertainment Company, with the existing deal set to lapse at the end of 2015. It has been revealed that Nine has negotiated a deal for public broadcaster SBS to televise its cricket coverage in regional areas if WIN does not renew its affiliation agreement. Nine’s broadcasting deal with Cricket Australia requires it to provide all Australians with access to its cricket coverage.

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NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), CRICKET AUSTRALIA, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN