Disney Star gets the rights to Indian five test tour of Australia coming in two years
Cricket Australia (CA) has announced a renewed association with Disney Star (owned by The Walt Disney Company) to broadcast Australian cricket throughout India and other territories across Asia.
The deal is worth a reported $350m across the term of the rights deal. Disney Star previously showed Australian cricket in India before Cricket Australia signed with current rights holder Sony.
The seven-year deal commencing in 2023-24 will see Disney Star televise Men’s International and Women’s International (team pictured above this month in the UK) matches played in Australia as well as the KFC BBL and Weber WBBL.
Some of the big attractions for the broadcaster are the rights to a five-test Indian tour of Australia in 2024-25 and the Ashes series in Australia in 2025-26.
There are also reports that the board that controls Indian Cricket, the BCCI, will permit the signing of Indian cricketers for BBL teams.
Disney Star also recently won the TV broadcast rights for the T20 Indian Premier League from 2023-27. Cricket Australia said the alignment with the IPL broadcaster will ensure multiple benefits including widespread cross-promotion of the BBL.
Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said in a statement:
“We are delighted to announce this new association with Disney Star from season 2023-24 onwards. Disney Star is synonymous with the game in India and we look forward to working with them to showcase the outstanding cricket played in Australia every summer.
“The magnitude of this association is testament to the enduring rivalry and respect that exists between Australian and Indian teams, the excitement and popularity of WBBL and BBL, and the high regard of Australian cricket in India and global markets more broadly.
“There was significant interest in our rights and we are very grateful to our current rights holder Sony for their partnership which will continue throughout this season.”
Disney Star head of sports Sanjog Gupta added:
“Cricket Australia represents some of the best content that the world of cricket has to offer, be it the standard of cricket played, the popularity of Aussie Cricketers, the rivalries and narratives or the context of playing in front of expressive crowds and in tough conditions.
“Disney Star has been delighting millions of Indian fans by showcasing marquee cricket across our linear and digital platforms. Some of the most memorable moments for Indian fans have been produced in Australia and we look forward to elevating many more such moments with our unique brand of story-telling, programming, local activations and tech-enabled experiences in association with Cricket Australia.”
See also:
Channel 7 takes Cricket Australia to Federal Court to end its $450 million TV rights deal