Cricket’s most famous Test series, the Ashes, gets underway on Friday 21 November. The Guardian is covering every aspect of the action with a major multimedia package spanning audio, video, newsletters, digital and print. The Guardian’s Ashes coverage is exclusively sponsored by Qantas, who will hold 100 percent share of voice across all formats.
The Guardian’s trusted platform is the perfect place for Qantas to build on its long-standing alignment with Cricket Australia, driving awareness and consideration among the Guardian’s highly engaged audience of cricket fans. Over the past year, the Guardian’s cricket coverage has attracted 105m page views, while 70% of Guardian podcast listeners plan to spend on holidays or travel in the next year - a natural fit for a brand made for explorers.
At the heart of the Guardian’s coverage is Ashes Weekly, co-hosted by Guardian broadcasters, Englishman Max Rushden (host of the Guardian’s Football Weekly) and Australian Geoff Lemon (host of The Final Word), cricket fans worldwide can tune in for lively debate, laughs, expert analysis and irreverent cricket chat for the duration of the tournament.
Recorded on the ground at the Test series in Australia, a new episode of Ashes Weekly will be released before and after every Test match every over the next eight weeks. Available in both video and audio formats, the show will feature expert Guardian cricket journalists from the UK and Australia - including Barney Ronay, Ali Martin, Emma John, Simon Burnton, and special guests. The first official episode will be available on Thursday 20 November. Listeners can hear the pilot episode now. Ashes Weekly can be found on theguardian.com/audio, as well as all podcast apps of choice.
With a large team of cricket experts, the Guardian has long set the standard in Ashes coverage. Alongside Ashes Weekly audiences can also enjoy:
The Guardian’s weekly cricket newsletter, The Spin, dedicated to the test series over the next eight weeks
A special interactive online feature counts down the 100 greatest Ashes players, voted for by more than 50 judges, including leading players and Guardian cricket journalists
Live blogs during each test match, offering expert commentary from Rob Smyth, Taha Hashim, Tanya Aldred, James Wallace, Tim de Lisle and more.
Max Rushden, host, Ashes Weekly, says:
“It’s great to finally have a professional excuse for watching all of the Ashes, I’m hoping the Aussies give us a game for once. I’m very excited to work in the right time zone and can’t wait to dip my toe into the world of podcasts, I hear they are a pretty big deal.”
Geoff Lemon, host, Ashes Weekly, says:
“Having written for Guardian Australia since it started, it’s always been fun to clash and collaborate with English colleagues. All the better to do it all through the most anticipated Ashes series in 20 years.”
Imogen Fox, global chief advertising officer, Guardian Media Group, says:
“The Guardian has been brilliant at telling the story of cricket with depth and passion for generations - it’s a sport we know and love. Partnering with Qantas on this multi-channel Ashes campaign has allowed us to take this love even deeper. This collaboration is a perfect example of how we can combine the creativity and heritage of Guardian sports journalism with a brand that shares our love of the game, bringing them right to the heart of it.”
All sponsored content will be clearly labelled in line with the Guardian’s content funding guidelines.
[ENDS]
About Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group is one of the world’s largest and most-trusted quality newsbrands, publisher of the Guardian, theguardian.com and the Guardian app.
Founded over 200 years ago, the Guardian now serves audiences through five editions: Australia, Europe, International, UK and US. With no billionaire owner, the Guardian is renowned for its fearless investigative journalism, holding power to account and amplifying the stories that need to be told. Its independent ownership structure means it is free from political or commercial influence.
Today, millions of people worldwide choose the Guardian’s journalism every day and more than two million readers across 180 countries have supported the Guardian’s work.
Audiences can listen to the Guardian’s top-rated podcasts, watch its award-winning documentaries and interact with its growing digital portfolio, from a premium live news app to the recipe app Feast.
