Black Caps tri-series in Pakistan: Sky TV won’t broadcast ODIs in Champions Trophy leadup
Cricket fans in New Zealand will likely need to search YouTube to watch the Black Caps in Pakistan in the next week, after Sky TV confirmed it had not secured the rights to broadcast the tri-series.
New Zealand’s one-day internationals against Pakistan (10pm Saturday NZT) and South Africa (5.30pm Monday) in Lahore - which feature the return of Kane Williamson for his first ODI since the 2023 Cricket World Cup - as well as the tri-series final next Friday night in Karachi, will not be screened on Sky.
The broadcaster said costs were a factor, and it’s likely the unfriendly time zone for Kiwi viewers played its part too (even if the South Africa match is played in prime time in New Zealand).
Sky holds the rights to the Champions Trophy later this month as part of its multi-year deal to screen all International Cricket Council events.
Still, the tri-series remains almost certain to be streamed live in New Zealand, even with the likelihood no other platform will bid for the rights which are owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
A free YouTube stream, either via the ICC, PCB or even New Zealand Cricket, remains a likely option for fans.
An NZC spokesman said it was keeping a watching brief on the situation. More clarity on how to access coverage would be provided by NZC closer to the opening match, assuming no other platform stepped in at the last minute to secure the rights.
The situation is more and more common around the cricketing world, with Sky becoming more selective as to what it bids for, and competition increasing from the likes of TVNZ in the saturated sports rights market.
As recently as last year a second-string Black Caps squad toured Pakistan for a white ball series with the matches streamed on the Sports Central YouTube channel. A low key series in the dead of night in New Zealand proved an unappealing prospect for potential rightsholders.
Sky has deals with Cricket Australia and India’s BCCI to show their international matches, and is currently screening England’s white ball tour of India. All the Champions Trophy matches are also at the unfriendly start time of 10pm (NZT).
A Sky TV spokesman said in a statement: “We recognise that we play an important role in the sports landscape in New Zealand and all our rights decisions are made with careful consideration. In an environment where many businesses are looking to manage their costs, we have to make choices about what we are able to share with our customers.
“We know that Sky customers value watching cricket, and we aim to make a variety of cricket content available to our customers, such as the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, featuring the Black Caps, which will be available live on Sky Sport from Wednesday, 19 February. We also have England’s tour of India (which has two ODIs remaining).”
Safely through the tri-series, captain Mitchell Santner’s Black Caps have a solitary 50-over ICC warmup match against Afghanistan on February 16 before the tournament opener against Pakistan on February 19. They also face Bangladesh (February 24) and India (March 2), and need to win two of those group A matches to make the semifinals.
SOURCE:
https://www.thepost.co.nz/sport/360...v-wont-broadcast-odis-champions-trophy-leadup
