Cricket Australia has announced the fixture for week 1 of BBL finals ahead of today’s season ending tripleheader.
Adelaide Strikers also lose home advantage because their home ground (Adelaide Oval) will host the three T20s of Women’s Ashes this week.
Should Scorchers win the Qualifier, they will also host the final at the Marvel Stadium. The Challenger and the Final will be held at the preferred home ground of the team that earns the right to host.
UPDATE 11.10pm AEDT: the confirmed week one schedule after Stars thrashed Hurricanes at the MCG tonight:
Friday 21 January
The Eliminator: Strikers (4th) v Hurricanes (5th) (MCG, 7.15pm AEDT)
Saturday 22 January
The Qualifier: Scorchers (1st) v Sixers (2nd) (Marvel Stadium, 7.15pm AEDT)
Sunday 23 January
The Knockout: Thunder (3rd) vs Eliminator winner (MCG, 7.15pm AEDT)
It is odd too, in that a broadcaster so experienced in Olympic Games, Comm Games, previously Grand Slam tennis for 40 years and other major annual staples like AFL… Can’t seem to get it ‘quite’ perfect yet with cricket?
Is it because it’s only still four summers in and just give them time? Is it the comparison to Fox factor? Or is it their crew just isn’t quite equipped to say Nine or Foxtel in producing said product whether it be a new EP or someone is needed- remember they suddenly lost Dave Barham just months in unexplained and also their original head of sport (which might sound harsh but you can’t tell me Nine still don’t have lots of crew producing tennis who previously did cricket and vice-versa Seven crew producing cricket who used to do tennis).
Which also raises another possibility: would we ever see the sports swap again and return to their old networks? Though I doubt Nine would want to lose such a lucrative Q1 promotion and lead-in (as well as the event itseelf) like an AO.
Well 9 had control of the flying Fox but now Fox has it because they are the host broadcaster. I honestly think it because of the comparison to Fox. 7 are much better than the late years on 9. But with 2 broadcaster broadcasting the same thing, I guess resources are limited
During the period when the Australian Open, cricket and the Melbourne Cup rights all swapped hands, I said that the next time those rights came up, at least one network will go hard after reclaiming the property they lost. I still believe that will happen - just don’t know what combination it’ll be.
You’re right in that Nine will likely fight hard to retain the AO rights when their current agreement ends. The big question is what Seven are thinking of doing when the cricket and AO rights come to tender next? I could see a scenario whereby they would want to retain the rights to test matches and women’s international matches (assuming the makeup of the FTA package is unchanged) but drop the Big Bash (because of how poorly it rates). If that’s the case, they might be content with that and try to replicate 10’s success with launching a tentpole in mid-January. If they decide though that they want to regain the rights to the Australian Open, Tennis Australia will be salivating at the bidding war that will result in.
If Seven produces the game, they are the world feed. There are Fox exclusives and Fox-produced games however, which are the world feed for those games.
7’s Test coverage is considerably better than late era Channel 9 or the inane coverage produced by Fox. Within the remit of the tv rights deal (which mandates Fox to be the lead broadcaster) they have been very good and it’s hyperbole to state otherwise. Frankly, I found the Fox coverage pretty insipid in comparison over the last few summers.
The BBL coverage is another matter and it’s hard to escape the impression that 7 are minimizing resources because they feel hamstrung by a dud deal for that competition.
With the BBL most likely using DRS next season, I wonder if 7 & Fox will use the same companies or if they will use the seperate companies that have currently been using
