Ten Looks set to face some stiff competition for the highly sought-after Big Bash League (BBL) broadcast rights, with Nine Entertainment and News Corp reportedly in talks about making a joint play for all forms of cricket.
With Cricket Australia yet to send out a tender for the rights, Nine and News Corp are discussing the possibility of offering a package worth between $130 million and $150 million a year that would see the cricket rights split between free-to-air and pay TV channel Fox Sports, according to The Australian Financial Review.
The package would see Nine hold onto the rights to the international Tests, one-day internationals, and T20 internationals, while the BBL split with Fox Sports.
Nine declined to comment when probed by B&T about the joint bid, while News Corp is yet to respond.
Cricket Australia’s current five-year agreement with rights holders is estimated to be worth around $500 million.
