New Zealand Cricket has been lately negotiating broadcast deals across the globe. After signing a multi-year deal with Amazon Prime India, NZC has now agreed to a six-year deal with ESPN plus. This deal will see all international games of New Zealand to be telecasted by ESPN plus in the USA.
ESPN plus has been telecasting international games of New Zealand in the USA, but the improved deal will also give the broadcaster to telecast games from Super Smash, the T-20 league of New Zealand. The improved deal is set to come immediately into effect with the first T-20 international between West Indies and New Zealand on November 27.
Considering the popularity T-20 cricket is getting across the globe, it is a good bit of business for ESPN plus. New Zealand’s T-20 league is not exactly as lucrative as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Big Bash League (BBL). However, any form of T-20 cricket league is a long-term investment that could eventually reap the rewards for the broadcasters.
International cricket is all set to return to New Zealand after a long halt due to the pandemic. West Indies is set to play Kiwis in the three-match T-20 series and two test matches. The T-20 series is set to be streamed by Fancode in India. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen which broadcaster is set to cover test matches in India as the deal with Amazon comes into effect from next summer.
After West Indies, New Zealand will be hosting Pakistan for the test series and T-20 series. The Pakistan cricket team suffered a huge setback in preparation for this important series as six members of the squad were tested positive on November 26. As of now, the series remains on track to go through, but more positive cases may lead to cancellation.