The dispute between Seven Network and Cricket Australia took an ugly turn after the broadcast company filed paperwork against the cricketing body in the federal court on November 30. The friction between the two organizations has taken place due to the scheduling of the limited-overs series between India and Australia before the test match series.
This dispute has brought major doubts over the $450 million between Seven Network and Cricket Australia. The broadcasting company accuses the scheduling of India’s tour of Australia has been more governed by BCCI rather than CA. In their complaint on Monday, Seven Network wants access to the emails between BCCI and CA regarding this tour.
The ongoing ODI and T-20 series are broadcasted on Foxtel in Australia. Seven Network believes that CA pushed back test series due to demands from BCCI, delaying cricket telecast on their platform until December 17. CA has addressed the situation on December 1 by releasing a statement. They accused Seven Network of talking down the sport in the media rather than opening a straight dialogue with them.
In an ideal situation, CA should try to resolve this dispute with Seven Network before the start of the test series. If the deal breaks down between two parties, then it will be a big blow for CA. The governing body of cricket in Australia has already suffered huge losses due to the pandemic. India touring the country for big series has been a big boost for them, so losing a broadcaster at the last moment will paint a bad picture of CA.
The return of cricket has benefitted broadcasters in Australia. The second ODI between India and Australia on November 29 witnessed record viewership, while Women’s Big Bash League also saw a growth in viewership. With a powerpack test series with India and a new season of Big Bash League in the next few months, the viewership for cricket is likely to increase.