Nine retains English Ashes contests until 2031 in new deal
The Ashes broadcast will remain split between two networks until at least 2031 after Nine Entertainment secured the rights to the next two Test series in England.
Nine will pay about $40 million to air the 2027 and 2031 clashes in the biennial cricket contest, sources said. The rights are likely to remain jointly held by Nine and pay TV company Foxtel.
The deal ends Seven West Media’s efforts to bring the entirety of the Ashes onto its free-to-air network. The England and Wales Cricket Board wanted more than $50 million for the two series. Last month, Seven told the ECB it could not afford to pay that much.
Mitch Marsh batting in the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester in July.
Nine owns television, radio and streaming assets, as well as The Australian Financial Review, and has held the rights to the England-based half of the series for years. The ECB and Nine declined to comment. Foxtel said it did not comment on ongoing negotiations.
Tony Singh, the ECB’s chief commercial officer, and Guy Le Grew, chief revenue officer of sports advisory group Pitch International, visited Australia to watch the NRL and AFL grand finals in early October while meeting media executives to discuss the English Ashes series. The contracts are expected to be formally signed before the end of the year.
Even with the time difference, the Ashes rights are valuable for a broadcaster because the Tests are immensely popular and run in prime time in Australia. Sports bodies must offer them to free-to-air broadcasters before Foxtel under a federal government law called the anti-siphoning list, which ensures culturally significant sporting events are free.
Two media sources with direct knowledge of the previous Ashes deals, signed by Nine in
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