Amazon now hold exclusive Oz ICC rights

An already complicated intertwining of TV cricket broadcasters in Australia is about to get more confusing for frustrated fans.

US-based giant Amazon was on Monday revealed to have purchased the rights for the International Cricket Council’s global events across the next four years. It’s an Australian deal that, as it stands, sees no free-to-air partners for any ICC events over the duration of the contract until 2027.

That stands for both men’s and women’s cricket, with Australian viewers of ICC events needing to purchase a subscription.

Amazon’s new deal ends a partnership between Nine and Foxtel, the broadcasters that brought the 2023 ODI World Cup to Australians.

Network Seven, meanwhile, penned a different deal to secure the rights to broadcast the World Test Championship earlier this year that saw Australia prevail.

It means Amazon will become the fourth major broadcaster of cricket in Australia and the first that is entirely online.

In addition to ICC Qualifier and Under 19 World Cup tournaments, Amazon now holds the TV rights to the following: Men’s T20 World Cup: USA/West Indies (June/July 2024), Women’s T20 World Cup: Bangladesh (September/October 2024), Men’s Champions Trophy: Pakistan (February/March 2025), World Test Championship final: England (June 2025), Women’s ODI World Cup: India (September/October 2025), Men’s T20 World Cup: India/Sri Lanka (September/October 2026), Women’s T20 World Cup: England (June 2026), Women’s Champions Trophy: Sri Lanka (February 2027), World Test Championship final (mid-2027), Men’s ODI World Cup: South Africa/Namibia (October/November 2027)

Federal communications minister Michelle Rowland has introduced updated anti-siphoning laws to Parliament that required free-to-air broadcasters to be offered first refusal for iconic sporting events.

“All Australians regardless of where they live, or what they earn, should have the opportunity to enjoy free TV coverage of iconic sporting events,” she said.

The laws dictate that only Cricket World Cup games played by Australia in Australia or New Zealand are covered from ICC events.

However, The Age’s chief cricket writer Dan Brettig said believes that Amazon may on-sell some games to free-to-air broadcasters in the future.

“This deal is not necessarily going to be entirely exclusive to Amazon… I’d imagine that there would be the chance that the Australian games and maybe the finals are shared with a free-to-air network,” Brettig said.

“But certainly to move from Foxtel to Amazon is a huge change for a lot of people’s habits.”

It could be a similar arrangement to how Foxtel and Nine broadcasted the ODI World Cup, or how Optus Sport and Seven broadcast the FIFA Women’s World Cup earlier this year.

– SEB MOTTRAM/ SEN