Cricket Australia has confirmed Sydney will host host all 59 games of this year’s Women’s Big Bash League this summer, as Channel Seven said it had held “constructive” talks with CA over this summer’s broadcasting deal.
The sixth edition of the WBBL will be held exclusively in Sydney in a move CA said “demonstrates the commitment across Australian cricket to host the full summer of cricket”.
The news that no games will be lost to the Covid-19 pandemic should help to allay concerns held by broadcast partners that the virus would lead to a reduced schedule.
It comes as CA CEO Nick Hockley held a positive meeting with Seven West Media counterpart James Warburton on Friday, for the first time since public criticism from the network.
Both sides have remained at loggerheads over the broadcast deal, with Seven and Fox seeking a reduction from their six-year agreement worth close to $1.2bn. Hockley has insisted there should be no discount offered for broadcasters, given a full schedule of cricket will be played despite Covid-19.
However that prompted Warburton to last week label CA a “train wreck”, amid concerns over an altered schedule and uncertainty surrounding the quality of the Big Bash.
But that tone cooled significantly following Friday’s meeting between the pair, ahead of the next deadline for payment in mid-September. “We had a constructive meeting with Cricket Australia. No decisions were made but we have agreed to keep talking,” Warburton said.
The WBBL season will open on 25 October, with details regarding fixtures, venues and broadcast times yet to be released. But given that every game will be played in the same city and the use of less grounds saves time and money in setting up venues, the competition will likely be cheaper to broadcast.
It could also feasibly allow more games to be shown, with 26 fixtures originally slated for the network and simulcast on Fox.
“We can achieve great things together and the spirit of cooperation has been truly uplifting,” head of Big Bash Alistair Dobson said. “Thanks must also go to our broadcasters, partners, players and staff for their outstanding support as we navigate what has been a challenging period.”
Sydney has been a fixture of the WBBL since its inception, hosting the first sold-out final at Drummoyne Oval in January last year as well as the competition’s first “festival weekend” the previous season. Last season was the first time the WBBL was played as a standalone competition.
Meanwhile the layout of the men’s Big Bash later in the summer is yet to be confirmed, with questions over how bubbles will work still up in the air.
