Cricket Australia renews media rights agreement with Sky Sports in UK

MUMBAI: Cricket Australia has renewed its media rights agreement with UK sportscaster Sky Sports by extending the association for a further four years.

The Sky Sports deal includes all broadcast, mobile and internet rights. Excluded from the Sky Sports agreement are audio-only rights in the UK and CA will commence separate negotiations for this rights package in due course.

The new agreement includes all rights for international and Australian domestic cricket, including the coveted Ashes in 2013-14 and every game of the KFC T20 Big Bash League.

Spanning the 2012-13 to 2015-16 seasons, Sky Sports will provide viewers in the UK as well as some European countries with exclusive live coverage of Australia?s international home series featuring: South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies (2012-13), England (2013-14), South Africa, India, England (2014-15), and New Zealand, West Indies, India (2015-16).

In addition, Sky Sports has rights to broadcast matches from Australia?s domestic competitions including the KFC T20 Big Bash League, Ryobi Cup and women?s tournaments.

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland welcomed the extension of the long term partnership: "Sky Sports has been a long term and valued partner of Australian cricket for more than 20 years and we are thrilled to extend our association with them," he said.

"Sky Sports depth and breadth of cricket coverage in the UK is unparalleled across multiple platforms. We want fans to have the best possible coverage of Australian cricket content, wherever they live, and we are confident that Sky will deliver with its expertise and knowledge of the game."

Sky Sports MD Barney Francis said, "The Ashes is one of world sport?s greatest events. Sky Sports has never offered greater depth and breadth of coverage and this renewal gives us the strongest line up of live sport for our viewers to watch at home or on the move."

Sutherland said while the commercial details of the agreement would not be disclosed, the value of this new and significant deal reflected the strength of cricket and reinforced the value of one of sport?s most iconic contests, the Ashes.

"England tours Australia twice in the next four year period, including an Ashes series in 2013-14, and no doubt these are jewels in the crown for our renewal with Sky Sports," he said.

CA had last year extended broadcast rights partnership with ESPN Star Sports till 2016.

"Over the past two years CA has renewed agreements in every major cricket territory in the world including New Zealand, Asia, South Africa, the United States and how the United Kingdom and these partnerships have and will put Australian cricket in a strong position both financially and in terms of excellent cricket coverage for fans.

"We have one major media rights agreement to complete the backbone of our broadcast portfolio, and that is in the Australian market. We want to deliver the best results for cricket fans and our members, that?s our objective."