Channel 9 is dealing with a backlash from Australian cricket fans after the network confirmed a decision not to secure the broadcast rights for the upcoming Women’s World Cup.
Nine issued a media release on Sunday morning confirming the network had secured free-to-air broadcast rights for the next two Men’s World Cup tournaments. However, cricket fans were quick to ask why the network had failed to secure equal rights to the women’s games.
The next Women’s ODI World Cup is set to be played this March in New Zealand. The location ensures key matches will be played in a primetime timeslot for Australian audiences.
A spokesperson for Channel 9 confirmed to TV Blackbox the network had made a “commercial decision” not to secure the Women’s World Cup, but declined to answer further questions regarding the decision.
While the 2022 Women’s World Cup will not be broadcast on free-to-air Television, this website has confirmed cricket fans will be able to enjoy free access to the tournament via the Kayo Freebies platform.
Fox Sports is the Australian rights holder to all ICC tournaments until 2023. However, the Federal Government anti-siphoning legislation requires it to offer a free-to-air broadcaster the opportunity to secure rights to matches involving the Australian team.
The decision by Nine comes despite the network experiencing significant success with the 2020 T20 World Cup. A national free-to-air audience of 825k tuned in to watch the Australian team secure the title at the MCG. The 2020 final was broadcast on the 9GEM channel, with the network opting not to interrupt the broadcast of Married at First Sight on the main channel.
As previously reported by TV Blackbox, Channel 9 has negotiated a new free-to-air broadcast deal for every Australian game plus other “big match-ups” in the upcoming 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup and 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Dedicated cricket fans will be able to watch every match of all three tournaments broadcast live and commercial-free via Foxtel and Kayo.
