The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has renewed its media rights deal with Australian broadcasters Nine Entertainment and Foxtel.
According to reports, the extension is set to run from 2024 to 2031 and will include the men’s Ashes Tests between England and Australia, with two series taking place over the course of the new deal.
As with the previous agreement, free-to-air broadcaster Nine, which operates the Stan Sport streaming service will hold the bulk of the inventory, including the Ashes Tests.
Australian law requires the Ashes, an event of cultural significance, to be offered to free-to-air broadcasters before subscription services like Foxtel, which gave Nine a advantage is securing its package.
Nine will reportedly pay the ECB AU$40m £21m) for the next two editions of the Ashes. It is thought that the value was significantly impacted by another Australian free-to-air broadcaster, Seven, withdrawing from the bidding process and giving Nine a free run at the deal.
Nine continues to provide Ashes coverage after securing rights to the 2023 series in a standalone deal, having previously signed a deal for the 2015 and 2019 Ashes.
Meanwhile, Foxtel will show all other home England matches, including Australia’s next tour to England in September 2024, comprising five ODIs and three T20s. Like Nine, Foxtel already held these rights from 2020 to 2023.
As with all its media rights deals in international territories, the ECB will be supported by London-based agency Pitch International.
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