The media rights to Australian cricket have been acquired by Disney Star, according to Cricket Australia (CA), which has validated a Cricbuzz story. The CA expressed its excitement about the new partnership with Disney Star, a channel owned by The Walt Disney Company, to broadcast Australian cricket in India and other Asian countries.
The Australian cricket rights are currently held by Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI), and the agreement with Star will begin in the first quarter of 2019. Under the terms of the seven-year agreement, starting in 2019, Star will broadcast BBL and WBBL games as well as men’s and women’s international matches played in Australia. On July 21, Cricbuzz published a report on this.
CA thought that its partnership with the Indian broadcaster, Star, who just obtained the TV broadcast rights for the IPL, would bring about a number of advantages, including extensive cross-promotion of the BBL.
“We are thrilled to announce this new connection with Disney Star from season 2023–24 onwards,” CA CEO Nick Hockley remarked. Since Disney Star is a household name in India when it comes to the sport, we are excited to collaborate with them to highlight the superb cricket played in Australia each summer.
The significance of this relationship demonstrates the long-standing competition and respect between the Australian and Indian teams, the excitement and appeal of the WBBL and BBL, and the great regard held for Australian cricket in India and other international markets.
There was a lot of interest in our rights, and we are extremely appreciative of our existing rights holder Sony for their continued collaboration this season.
It’s interesting how CA’s deal with Star came about at the same time that it was having issues with a home broadcaster. A free-to-air broadcaster in Australia named Channel Seven has filed a lawsuit against the CA, alleging several violations of their contract.
