Package deals

The CA rights tender starts with its "Package A": a selection of men's Tests, including all Ashes Tests, and the Boxing Day and New Year's Tests in Melbourne and Sydney respectively. All women's internationals are also in the package, as is the Allan Border Medal.

Package B, which could be sold separately or with Package A, contains the remaining men's Tests. It leaves open a scenario that Package B may even be sold to pay TV, as is the case with Package D, which includes all men's one-day internationals and the state-based domestic one-day series, if free-to-air TV is not interested in either.

Package E is all men's international Twenty20 matches, and Package F is the prime group of Big Bash matches; 28 matches plus the finals series, as well as the women's Big Bash League and its finals.

Another 28 Big Bash matches could be snapped up separately by free or pay TV in Package G, or sold in conjunction with Package H. Having at least some Big Bash games exclusively could be enough to tempt Foxtel into a big bid.

There is also a separate "clips and highlights" package in the document, which could be attractive a telco like Telstra or Optus or internet giants Facebook, Amazon and Twitter. In a nod to broadcasters wanting rights across all platforms, CA has not carved out digital streaming rights as a separate package.

Bidding contest


CA is said to want at least $150 million annually, or $900 million over six years for all rights, though a heated bidding contest across various packages could push the value past $1 billion. Nine Entertainment Co and Network Ten have paid about $118 million annually over the past five years.

Ten, backed by its new US owner CBS, is expected to bid aggressively to retain rights to the Big Bash. Nine could team up with Foxtel to bid for all forms of the game. Nine is expected to at least be keen to keep Test rights, while Seven West Media could explore a package of Big Bash games. Foxtel may introduce a cricket-only Fox Sports channel, if it wins a significant amount of rights.

Rights to archived cricket footage is also available in the tender and another category of CA games, such as the annual Prime Minister's XI match.

CA has told broadcasters it has a "strong preference to manage host broadcasting services", which would see it produce the telecast of all top-level matches held in Australia in-house, and has asked the networks to prepare bids under such an eventuality, and continue to operate its own extensive digital business, potentially in partnership with a broadcaster.

CA's transaction targets

James Sutherland, CA's chief executive, said in the tender document the sport was "looking for a partner (or partners) who will share our vision of cricket as Australia's favourite sport and a sport for all Australians and work closely with Australian cricket to build a platform to realise shared goals and mutual success".

The organisation said it had four primary transaction objectives for the licensing of its rights: an alignment with CA's strategy, including supporting its digital strategy; the financial optimising of the rights; reach and exposure of the sport; and a commitment to promote or "leverage" cricket across the broadcaster's network.

CA said it had made "a significant investment in building a world-class digital offering for Australian (and global) cricket fans" in the past five years in a partnership with Nine. It said it "has a strong preference to ensure the continuation of a partnership model", though it also left the door open for bidders to take all digital-streaming content under a full licensed rights model.