Despite the drama that has been stirred up eight years after the infamous “sandpaper gate” in South Africa (more of that here), DAZN Media+ boss Mark Frain is quietly confident that Foxtel and Kayo Sports is “set for another record-breaking year on cricket”.
Talking to B&T at Kayo Sports ‘Summer of Cricket’ launch at The Golden Sheaf in Sydney, Frain explored the benefit of having a refreshed cricket schedule that starts a month earlier and ends about a month later than usual, extending sport across the transition from the winter codes into the next AFL and NRL season.
The longer schedule has been received well by advertisers.
“The advertising community is doubling down on sport like I’ve never seen it,” he said.
He continued by saying that brands from the preceding season had returned and wanted to continue or expand their involvement across the months of cricket — not just through traditional ads, but through live coverage, sponsored integrations, content creation, and creator partnerships.
One particular area he is excited for this cricket season is the ability to attach brands to organic moments where fans are getting new player insights.
“Our ability to track players, track arm speed of bowlers, track batsmen hitting sixes and how fast the ball comes off the bats,” he said. “How we actually then attach all of those brands to that moment, that’s really detailed, exciting stuff.”
Fox Cricket continues to push the boundaries of sports broadcasting with a new generation of technology and analysis designed to take viewers deeper inside the game being introduced during the summer. These include G-Force, revealing the extraordinary physical demands of fast bowling by measuring the g-forces through their front leg; Point of Commitment, exploring the split-second decisions facing batters by measuring how quick the ball is coming and the time they have to make decisions; and the Match Impact Index, measuring the influence of individual performances on a match, deliver unprecedented insight.
Complementing these innovations, The Playbook unlocks the tactics, strategies and match-ups that shape the contest, revealing the thinking behind the game’s defining moments. Together with advanced ball, bat, skeletal and player tracking, Fox Cricket is bringing the science, skill and strategy of cricket to life like never before.
And as Frain explained some of these new innovations will be built “into a piece of integration for a brand.”
Another aspect of how Kayo Sports and Foxtel have brought in more brands is through new initiatives such as Club Kayo. Revealed at the broadcasters upfront, Club Kayo is a new creator-powered sports media ecosystem designed to put creators, communities and brands at the heart of Australia’s biggest sporting conversations.
When B&T asked Frain if it was a cheaper alternative for a brand to align themselves with Kayo, he replied with “I wouldn’t say it’s a a cheaper way because all of that content will still run on Kayo.
“But it’s definitely a new way and it could be a a lower entry point to bring them in.”
The ‘Summer of the Century’, which was officially launched by Kayo Sports and Foxtel yesterday, will feature every ball of Australia’s white-ball series against England – featuring three ODIs and five T20 Internationals – starting this Friday (13 November) in Perth. The summer then turns to red ball action in December with Australia taking on New Zealand in a highly anticipated Test series, bringing together the world’s second and third-ranked Test nations for a summer showdown.
For the launch, hundreds of fans gathered to meet Fox Cricket commentators Adam Gilchrist, Alyssa Healy, Brendon Julian, Kerry O’Keeffe, Mark Waugh, Michael Vaughan, Mike Hussey, Eloise Sohier, Grace Hayden, Megan Barnard and Mel Jones, whislt putting their cricket knowledge to the test in a special pub trivia game celebrating the great rivalries between Australia, England and New Zealand.
Fans were also treated to interviews with Fox Cricket experts and Australian superstars Mitchell Starc and Ellyse Perry, who were also in attendance.
To celebrate the start of the highly anticipated series white ball series between Australia and England, Gilchrist scored big for Australian sports fans by securing them the first innings of the first ODI between the fierce rivals live and free on Kayo Freebies.
Whilst attending the event, Gilchrist called on Frain to drop the paywall for the start of the highly anticipated series between The Old Enemy.
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B&T asked Adam Howarth, Foxtel Group’s executive director of commercial sport what the free session does for the broadcaster. He explained that it improves the customer experience and helps grow interest in cricket.
“If we can work with Cricket Australia to grow the amount of people that want to be interested in cricket, want to watch it, we benefit from that… It’s all about growing the pie, growing the enthusiasm, getting people super excited about the upcoming summer,” he told B&T.
