Think it’s all but certain now that the ABC, Macquarie (due to MSR) and Crocmedia will all pick up the radio rights in some fashion
I hope Croc do.
MMM ran a far too expensive talent team.
I wonder if Crocmedia will buy all the commercial radio rights and then syndicate it (like they’ve done for AFL, A-league and to a lesser extent the NRL). Might mean that MSR and 3AW miss out in Melbourne. MSR (Syd/Bris), 5AA and 6PR would then cover it outside of Melbourne.
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News Corp reports Cricket Australia could announce the new radio rights by the end of this week, with Crocmedia and Macquarie Media broadcasting the BBL in a new joint venture similar to that for the NRL and the AFL.
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Love the reference to “the new 2UE sports channel”. Macquarie Sports Radio clearly making an impact!
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I imagine this may end up with both Test Cricket and BBL produced by Crocmedia but aired on SEN in Melbourne and MSR in Sydney and Brisbane.
Alternatively in Melbourne, Test Cricket could be on MSR 1278 and just have the BBL on SEN. It depends how heavy they are prepared for SEN to be with live cricket coverage.
Eddie McGuire on 3MMM this morning suggested there is a push (presumably from Crocmedia) to purchase all the radio rights that may even exclude ABC Radio from broadcasting test cricket.
A massive shake up if it comes to pass. I imagine it would require regional stations nationwide to take Crocmedia’s feed or Cricket Australia would not allow it I would think.
Or perhaps ABC regional stations would be allowed to still broadcast in areas where no commercial broadcast is heard? Only early speculation at this stage.
Depending on the takeup by regional commercials, that could be very hard to implement with ABC broadcast areas far exceeding the reach of individual commercial stations.
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Cricket Australia have their c. $1 billion. It is just greed that they would rather take the commercial golden pot of money and exclude the ABC (if indeed Eddie McGuire is correct).
Even so, if they could exclude the ABC metros and enough major centres (ie. Townsville, Cairns, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Wollongong, etc), it may just be the money spinner required for a commercial broadcaster to have exclusive rights in the metro areas.
Wouldn’t it be similiar to what Crocmedia did with the AFL rights whereby they became the ‘master’ rightsholder and then entered into arrangements with Macquarie, Triple M, etc to sub-licence the rights?
Yes, but ABC still negotiated directly with the AFL.
Cost cutting Craig bidding more than the ABC? Even if the ABC, I find it hard that Craig would spend more.
Personally, not concerned if ABC is out of cricket.
Never a fan of Kerry O’Keeffe nor Jim Maxwell, they had/have a dated style and not in an entertaining way like the Benaud/Greig/Lawry et al commentary team.
Nine are now reporting the same thing and provided a bit more info:
It’s believed the delay in announcing a deal is due to CA seeking assurances from Macquarie Media and Crocmedia that they can provide coverage to regional areas of Australia currently serviced by the ABC. The ABC’s extensive regional network is thought to be the only factor keeping the public broadcaster in the frame to continue covering the game.
Sources close to the bidding process have confirmed to Wide World of Sports the plans to exclude the ABC are “more than a rumour” and “well advanced”.
Even if Crocmedia can set up a broadcast arrangement with community stations like NIRS, similar to NRL Nation in NSW, Queensland and NT, there are parts of remote Australia where there is no commercial or community radio stations available. It will be unfair for residents and visitors for having to subscribe to CA Live Pass simply to listen to the cricket on radio. Seems to me that CA is exploiting the funding cuts to the ABC to try to shut out the public broadcaster altogether.
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What is the interest in these rights?
What’s really propelling this?
We’re talking about a sport that is played mostly in the off season for radio and TV audience research. When people are distracted by the month leading to Christmas and the holiday stupor towards Australia Day.
9’s results over the years prove that cricket does not hold them an audience of goodwill into the official ratings period.
It’s no longer pre WWII, a world with limited media choice and no Don Bradman, so Australians are not crowding around valve sets hanging off every word.
Agree, however CA is going down a very dangerous path where it’s clear they care only for corporate success, milk everything they can out of the golden cow (or what they can convince rights bidders is a golden cow), if it means more money, they won’t care. Remember, small populations, might be ‘less than 200 population’ like ACMA’s cop out, CA will invent their own yardstick of not giving a toss (pun intended).
That said, do you know of any regional TV station in 9’s ‘modern era’ of coverage pre 1990’s aggregation that left their region in the dark with cricket? No, they all cherry picked it. I guess that’s the thinking for this. CA may be disappointed times have changed.
CA live passes are digital, remember that online medium/internet is not broadcasting, this is a severe dent in coverage. The internet as we know it currently is a narrowcasting medium no matter what some may tell you.
There’s no legislation forcing CA to provide calls to the ABC is there?
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According to a CA spokesman, the media speculation about the ABC being left out of the next radio rights cycle is incorrect
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That has been uproar on social media from fans and non-fans about the ABC possibly losing the cricket radio rights.
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I bet tomorrow they’ll announce the ABC is out. Disgusting
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Pay up, Matlock.
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