Nine to broadcast Men’s Cricket World Cup not Women’s on FTA TV
Nine has secured the broadcast rights to the 2022 T20 World Cup and 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, to be broadcast on free-to-air television.
In a statement, Nine’s director of sport Brent Williams said: “Any cricket World Cup is a premium event on the international calendar and we’re excited to be the free-to-air home of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and the 2023 World Cup which will be held in India.
“Nine has a long and proud history with cricket and we look forward to that continuing with all Australian and key matches of these prestigious events being broadcast across Nine’s platforms.”
However, the Women’s Cricket World Cup, which begins 4 March in New Zealand, will not be broadcast on free-to-air television but instead on Kayo Freebies, an arm of the Foxtel sports-streaming subscription service Kayo. Kayo Freebies is free to watch and does not require a paid subscription. As with the paid subscription service, Kayo Freebies runs advertisements on its platform.
When asked about the decision to not obtain the broadcast rights for the Women’s Cricket World Cup, a Nine spokesperson told Mumbrella: “Nine’s sub license agreement with Foxtel only includes rights to the Men’s T20 World Cup.”
The news that Nine would not be broadcasting the women’s cricket tournament was met with some criticism.
On Sunday, Australian cricketer Alyssa Healy said: “I wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s a step backwards. I think it’s a little bit of a slap in the face to say that we’re not commercially viable, that someone doesn’t want to stick their hand up and say, you know what, we’re going to put this on the telly so that everyone can watch it.”
After it was announced that the tournament would be streamed for free on Kayo Freebies, Healy tweeted her support.
You bloody beauty!! https://t.co/9uDUS3YaHj
— Alyssa Healy (@ahealy77) January 23, 2022
Mumbrella has contacted Kayo for comment.
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