The off-field battle for The Ashes: Seven v Kayo Sports

There is not much that broadcasters Seven and Kayo Sports agree on. They share the rights but compete fiercely for viewers to three of the four biggest Australian sporting codes.

In winter the battle is over who has the best AFL coverage. That was a contest that got a little spicy this year when Foxtel (which owns Kayo) used Seven’s Brian Taylor in a promo for its exclusive Saturday matches. Seven then returned fire reminding viewers it had commentators at every game instead of calling some from a TV screen in the studio.

The two broadcasters also have rights to Supercars racing around Australia and New Zealand race tracks.

Across the summer the battleground is Test and BBL/WBBL cricket. This summer is shaping up as one of the biggest ever.

Heading sports coverage at the broadcasters are Steve Crawley at Kayo Sports and Chris Jones at Seven. There is much they will never agree on, but they both explained to Mumbrella there is a level of anticipation about the forthcoming Ashes series they have never experienced before.

Seven’s head of cricket Joel Starcevic joined the discussion, as did sales chiefs Katie Finney at Seven and Mark Frain at Foxtel Media. The five-Test Ashes series starts Friday November 21.

Record-breaking audiences expected

Seven commentators (L-R) Aaron Finch, Mel McLaughlin, Ricky Ponting and Damien Flemming

The TV executives have been around long enough to know better than to forecast TV ratings, but they agreed the Ashes series could see some of the biggest audiences for a summer of cricket.

Kayo Sports and the Foxtel Group don’t release audience figures any more, but Crawley did say that the recent Australia v India T20 matches were the most watched T20 games ever in Australia. He’s expecting that momentum to grow once the Tests commence.

Seven’s Jones agreed.

“I can’t think of a bigger build-up to a series in my time,” he said. “There’s more anticipation about this series than for anything I can recall.

“We had the most extraordinary summer last year [for Australia v India] with ratings up 39% year-on-year.

“This just feels like it’s going to a completely different level.”

Adding some more detail on how he expects Seven to perform in December, Jones said:

“Last year 26 of the top 30 rating programs in December were all cricket coverage. And 29 of that top 30 were on Seven.”

Starcevic added: “More than 1.4 million people watched the final sessions of the Melbourne and Sydney Australia v India tests alone.”

Steve Crawley: ‘We have to be better than Seven’

Steve Crawley

Both broadcasters explained how they have the best cricket coverage. They share resources when it makes sense, albeit reluctantly.

“I don’t like sharing anything with anyone,” Crawley said. “I’m one of eight kids.”

The sports chiefs do talk and Crawley admitted he had a day at the races recently with Jones and had a great time.

“But now we are in competition. People are paying for us. We have to be better, we have no choice. If we’re not better, why are people going to pay for us?”

Seven’s British B team: Broad, Bumble and Botham

Jones praised the Seven commentary team that Starcevic has assembled for the coverage.

“It’s going to be as fiery in the commentary box as it will out in the middle,” Starcevic said, alluding to the British imports Seven has secured.

You can call them the B team – Broad, Bumble and Botham: former English bowling great Stuart Broad, former British all-rounder-turned-commentator David Lloyd and the legendary all-rounder Ian Botham.

Broad is the big signing for this tour, with the former fast bowler having tormented Australian batsmen and fans during 40 Ashes tests across his career.

“From the moment we announced Broad would join our team, anything he says in any media seems to get picked up,” said Starcevic.

Jones added: “In our opinion, Ricky Ponting is the best commentator in the world. Stuart Broad’s going to try and hunt him down over the next few years. Broad’s also incredible in the commentary box. When the first ball of the Ashes comes in Perth and we’ve got Ponting and Broad sitting next to each other we feel like we’re really well placed.”

Starcevic also pointed to another important Seven team member: “Justin Langer is a big one for us this year too. We’re leaning on him this year.

“He was the coach of the Australian team the last time the Ashes were here when Australia won 4-0.”

Kayo claims some of world’s best

The Kayo Sport commentary team, with Australian skipper Pat Cummins

For its commercial free coverage in play Kayo Sports draws on a big team of commentators. With an emphasis on some of the UK-based broadcasters for the Ashes tour, Crawley mentioned both Isa Guha and Michael Vaughan.

“They’re probably in the top five or six commentators in the world. I think they’re right at the top. At the end of every year we worry that we might lose Kerry O’Keeffe, but he keeps coming back and he’s back again this year. Our wonderful crew of people also includes Mark Waugh, Michael Hussey and Mel Jones. Adam Gilchrist is the captain.”

Mark Howard is a fan favourite. Also a prolific podcaster (The Howie Games), Howard can also be heard on radio (Triple M) and calling the AFL for TV and radio. He also gets work overseas including India.

“He gets too much [other] work,” said Crawley, sounding like he doesn’t much like sharing the broadcast allrounder. “He’s a talented guy and he’s the only fifth-grade cricketer on our commentary team, I can guarantee you that.”

He plays fifth grade with his teenage son for Barwon Heads.

“The relationship Howie has with the players is unbelievable. He can get things that no-one else can get out on the field. During the Test matches, we’ve got exclusive access for those walks on the field and it’s a big part of what we do.”

Life under Foxtel Group’s new owner

The Ashes tour will be the first summer of cricket for Kayo Sports since Foxtel was acquired by DAZN.

“People suspect when there’s a new owner that there’ll be great change,” said Crawley. “There’s been no change.

“We’re turning up for this the same as we always have. The only difference is that we’re a bigger company now. We’re a worldwide broadcaster. DAZN has been a great supporter of ours. They’re very interested in how we do things and what they might learn from us. You wouldn’t have predicted that. It’s been really good.”

Commercial partnerships – 5 days of Test cricket please

While most of the viewers watching via Seven and Kayo will want an Australian victory, the broadcasters are hoping for a contest that will run for five days across all five Tests.

Any result in just three days means there would be plenty of ad inventory they can’t get to air.

“There’s only one other business that wants more than three days more than us, and that would be Cricket Australia,” said Jones.

He noted how the timing of the series is appealing to advertisers.

“There are three Test matches before Christmas and four before the New Year, critical periods for brands.

“This Ashes series is also delivering two Test matches into prime time on the east coast.”

Brands spending up big on Seven

In 2018 Seven secured the rights to cricket in Australia, narrowly outbidding Network 10 and joining Foxtel for packages that cost the two broadcasters $1.2b for six years.

The incumbents renewed their rights deals again for seven years, 2024–2031, for a combined cost of just over $1.5b.

Helping pay for that investment is a long list of commercial partners. Chief among them this 2025-26 summer for Seven is Westpac, also Cricket Australia’s principal partner. Returning partners for Seven this year are KFC, Toyota, Harvey Norman and Woolworths.

Other brands drawn to the Ashes on Seven are NRMA Insurance, Lion, Bunnings and Chemist Warehouse.

The Ashes and the Big Bash League on the channel will also feature major integrated packages from returning brands Liquorland, Mitsubishi Electric Australia, BKT and Cancer Council Australia. They are joined by REA Group, bet365, Drummond Golf and Aussie Beef.

Seven’s national television sales director Katie Finney told Mumbrella: “Nothing stirs national pride quite like The Ashes. It will be the biggest cultural event of the summer, and Australians are embracing it like never before, with an incredible 700,000 tickets already sold for international matches.

“Seven’s Summer of Cricket gives brands the ultimate opportunity – the strongest finish to the retail year and the fastest start to 2026.”

Cricket dollars climbing at Foxtel Media

The Foxtel Group too has reported strong support from brands for the coverage across Kayo Sports and the Foxtel platform. Mark Frain, CEO of Foxtel Media, told Mumbrella: “The 25/26 Ashes isn’t just driving excitement on the field, it’s driving momentum with advertisers too. We’ve got more partners on board than we did for the 2021/22 Ashes, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.”

He said 50% of returning clients are spending more this summer while sponsorship of the cricket is up 25% year-on-year thanks in part to new clients.

“Commercial partners span Toyota, McDonald’s, Harvey Norman, Chemist Warehouse and Bunnings, while our returning partners Ashley & Martin, Daikin, HostPlus, Youi and CBUS continue to back the Test matches and Big Bash League. We’re also welcoming first-time partners BetR, Canadian Club and Westpac across all formats, with Aussie Broadband and IG Markets joining The Ashes.

“Live sport remains the one environment where attention is guaranteed,” added Frain.