Women’s Cricket World Cup snubbed from free-to-air television broadcasters

On Sunday, Channel 9 announced it had secured broadcast rights for this year’s Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia and next year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India.

Australia will be looking to defend its title after defeating New Zealand in last year’s T20 World Cup final in Dubai.

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“Any cricket World Cup is a premium event on the international calendar and we’re excited to be the free-to-air home of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and the 2023 World Cup which will be held in India,” Nine’s Director of Sport, Brent Williams, said in a statement.

“Nine has a long and proud history with cricket and we look forward to that continuing with all Australian and key matches of these prestigious events being broadcast across Nine’s platforms.”

However, the Women’s World Cup, which gets underway in New Zealand later this summer, will not be televised by a free-to-air broadcaster after Channel 9 relinquished the rights — it will instead be streamed exclusively on Foxtel and Kayo.

“Nine’s sub license agreement with Foxtel only includes rights to the Men’s T20 World Cup,” a Channel 9 spokesperson confirmed.

Channel 9 live streamed all Australian matches during the 2017 Women’s World Cup on 9Now and broadcast the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final on 9Gem, while reality show Married At First Sight was screened on Nine’s main channel.

Although the Women’s World Cup won’t be on free-to-air television, every match will be streamed on Kayo Freebies, meaning cricket fans can watch all the action in New Zealand without a paid subscription.

Removing the coverage from behind a paywall opens up the tournament to a wider audience, particularly to Australians who aren’t able to pay for subscription television.

After Channel 9 confirmed it would not broadcast the women’s tournament, Australian wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy and vice-captain Rachael Haynes both experssed their disappointment.

“Not having it on free-to-air, it kind of excludes a fair chunk of our population who don’t want to pay or can’t afford to pay for subscription TV,” Healy told reporters from Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

“It’s a little bit of a slap in the face to say we’re not commercially viable … it’s a little bit hard to take in that regard.

“With fans unable to travel, viewerships is probably more relevant than bumbs on seats right now.”

Haynes echoed her teammate’s remarks: “It sends a really powerful message to see our female athletes have an opportunity to share in the spotlight. The visibility is extremely important. I am disappointed it’s not on free-to-air TV in Australia.”

Sarah Styles, the Director of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, posted to Twitter: “Absolutely and utterly the wrong call by Channel 9.”

Cricket journalist Melinda Farrell tweeted: “Well this is disappointing, to say the least. NZ’s border restrictions means few fans and journalists will travel to the WWC and now this. Good job Fox and Kayo are committed to it, cos that’s the only way it can be watched in Aus.”

Australian journalist Angela Pippos posted: “The decision not to broadcast the #WomensODIWC on FTA flies in the face of everything that’s happening with the Australian women’s cricket team — appalling judgement.”

Cricket writer Laura Jolly tweeted: “The majority of the really keen fans (who can afford it) will find a way to watch. But streaming services are inaccessible for many (for various reasons), and it cuts out the casual viewer who might flick on FTA to watch – thus losing a critical chance to grow support & the game.”

The Australian women’s team will be seeking redemption in March after losing to India in the 2017 World Cup semi-final by 36 runs.

However, Meg Lanning and her teammates have claimed two consecutive T20 World Cup titles since 2018, including their unforgettable victory over India at the MCG in March 2020.

Australia gets its World Cup campaign underway on March 5 with a day-night against England in Hamilton, with the final scheduled for April 3 in Christchurch.

Meanwhile, the fixtures for the Men’s T20 World Cup were unveiled on Friday morning, with Australia scheduled to take on New Zealand at the SCG on October 22 in a rematch of last year’s final.

“Our planning was ultra detailed last time and knowing what the groups look like 10 months out is really helpful, it can help that level of detail,” Australian captain Aaron Finch told reporters on Friday.

“It’s a tough group, though. In the lead-up there will be enough cricket in the T20 space. A lot of the guys will be at IPL as well. It’s about making sure you are fresh.

“We got that balance really right in the lead-up to the last world cup, with the right amount of preparation and rest. That was really important, to be mentally and physically fresh for the tournament.”
Defending champions Australia will play matches in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide before the finals series.

The MCG will host the Men’s T20 World Cup final on Sunday, November 13.

Australia‘s Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 fixtures

Oct 22 — vs New Zealand, SCG, 6pm AEDT

Oct 25 — vs qualifier, Optus Stadium, 10pm AEDT

Oct 28 — vs England, MCG, 7pm AEDT

Oct 31 — vs B2, Gabba, 7pm AEDT

Nov 4 — vs Afghanistan, Adelaide Oval, 7pm AEDT

Semi-finals

Nov 9 — SCG, 7pm AEDT

Nov 10 — Adelaide Oval, 7pm AEDT

Final

Nov 13 — MCG, 7pm AEDT

Originally published as Women’s Cricket World Cup snubbed from free-to-air television broadcasters