Sony secures rights for New Zealand Cricket home series

The long-term agreement, which will be effective from 1 May 2024 to 30 April 2031, will cover broadcasting and digital-streaming rights for all bilateral ties in the island nation, including India’s tours of New Zealand during the 2026-27 and 2030-31 seasons. The deal also encompasses bilateral Test matches, One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) hosted in New Zealand throughout the contractual period.

After losing out at the auction for expensive properties like the Indian Premier League (IPL), International Cricket Council (ICC) and India bilateral rights (BCCI) to rivals Viacom18 and Disney Star, SPNI has been picking up properties to build an all-sport offering, at a steady pace.

“It’s our constant endeavour to add marquee properties and we want to ensure we have a robust yet profitable sports business,” said Rajesh Kaul, SPNI’s chief revenue officer-distribution & international business and head-sports business. “We have added UEFA Euros, and now we have rights to one of the top four cricketing boards. For most Indians, NZ is the second-most favoured team.”

Recently, SPNI had renewed rights to UEFA EURO 2024, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League, UEFA Nations League, European Qualifiers, UEFA Youth League and International Friendlies.

Between UEFA, Bundesliga, FA Cup, Saudi Pro League, Durand Cup and DFB Pokal (German Cup), SPNI will live-telecast and stream over 1,000 football matches every year. It also owns the rights for three of the four tennis Grand Slams—the Australian Open, French Open (Roland Garros) and the US Open. In contact sports, it has rights to WWE and UFC, while two of the Indian sports leagues—Prime Volleyball League and Ultimate Kho Kho—also have found a home in SPNI.

The latest acquisition of the NZC board rights will bolster its existing portfolio, which currently includes the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

Scott Weenink, chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, stressed on the importance of this partnership in expanding NZC’s reach. “India is a significant market for us. Obviously, it’s the biggest cricket market in the world, and also one of the biggest markets for sports. So, it’s very important to New Zealand to ensure that our games are being broadcast to India,” he said.

When India is playing against NZC teams in New Zealand, the games will start later than usual to make sure they are convenient for viewers in India. This, Weenink said, is part of the agreement it made with Sony. With the agreement encompassing both linear and digital platforms, NZC anticipates significant fan engagement, leveraging adjusted match timings to accommodate Indian audiences.

“We expect that [the deal] will drive significant fan engagement… The Indian Test matches will be starting as late as 11:30 am in New Zealand time… to help with the Indian timezone.”

SPNI’s digital rights in India will be co-exclusive with Amazon Prime for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, as NZC had signed a six-year deal with the streamer for the Indian subcontinent back in 2020.

The then NZC chief executive David White had mentioned that the Amazon deal was “most significant” and “massive” at a time when technology was transitioning from linear to streaming.

However, Weenink told Mint, “We have a deal with Amazon for digital rights till 2025-26, but that’s only half of the market or even less than half of the market as linear TV in India is still massive. So it is very important for us to have the opportunity now to be able to have our games broadcast and both linear and digital television. And we expect that will drive significant fan engagement.”

While financial details of the agreement remain undisclosed, Weenink underscored its significance for NZC, emphasizing the growth opportunities it presents for cricket boards, broadcasters, and sponsors alike.

Kaul mentioned that the broadcaster, along with the NZC, is going to build the property once again. “We are planning fan interactions, apart from the innovative marketing that we are known for. We will have 3-4 language feeds for non-India cricket too,” he said.

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Published: 27 Mar 2024, 04:05 AM IST