Cricket Australia (CA), the country’s national cricket board, has confirmed a new collaboration with Disney Star. In this association, the media baron will provide the coverage of Australia’s fixtures throughout India and other regions across Asia.
The association has been inked for seven years starting from the 2023-24 season. In this collaboration, the American broadcasting company will have rights over Australia’s men’s and women’s international home fixtures along with Big Bash League (BBL) and Women’s Big Big Bash League (WBBL).
Disney Star has replaced Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) as the official broadcaster of CA.
Disney Star also acquired the TV rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the 2023-27 cycle, this association could help the BBL in terms of cross-promotion on a large scale.
Along with this latest collaboration with the CA, Star also has partnerships with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
While unveiling the collaboration, Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said, “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.”
Speaking on the association, Disney Star, Head of Sports, Sanjog Gupta said, “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.”