Cricket in the Big Apple: They want a slice of it by Cricket Archive Staff Reporter

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Player:

RT Ponting

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DateLine: 22nd January 2007

 

Cricket Australia and its Indian counterparts, the BCCI, are negotiating to play a one-day series in New York this year. The series would be as much about generating millions of dollars and proving who runs cricket as it would be about a contest between two international teams. Cricket Australia wants to participate in the Indian initiative to play in the US but there's a stumbling block - money and rights. The Indians have demanded the bulk of the cash. It's been estimated the seven-match series would generate up to $42 million through India's lucrative pay television market. Australia's desire to have an equal partnership in the venture is falling on deaf ears. The Indians hold the upper hand in the negotiations. They know that if Cricket Australia doesn't play ball the West Indies, South Africa, England or Pakistan would jump at the chance to make millions for a relatively short commitment. The Australians believe they have bargaining power because Indian fans show incredible interest in a series featuring their country's XI against Ricky Ponting's men. Cricket Australia insiders believe the BCCI won't get anywhere near the $42 million figure if Australia aren't involved. Regardless, the proposed series is seen as a sign of things to come, when internationals are played primarily for the benefit of India's pay television networks. After he paid $US612.8 million ($778m) to acquire Indian cricket rights for his broadcast company Nimbus, Harish Thawani said something similar to Kerry Packer when he started World Series Cricket in 1977.

 

"Cricket needs to evolve," Thawani told Indiantelevision.com. "The economic dominance of Asia, powered largely by India, represents both an opportunity and threat to the globalisation of the sport." Interestingly, the Australians' belief that they wield "pulling power" because they are ranked as the world's best was undermined at the DLF Cup tournament in Malaysia last year. That tournament, also run by the BCCI, pitted India against two of the best supported teams on the subcontinent - the West Indies and Australia. The Malaysian experiment confirmed Indian subscribers would pay big money to watch their national team take on Australia or the West Indies, but they're lukewarm about neutral games, even those that involve players who are revered on the subcontinent such as Brett Lee, Adam Gilchrist and Brian Lara. The Indian Daily reported at the time the BCCI sold the offshore television rights for each game in the series that featured India for $US5.8m but had to offload the Australia-West Indies matches for only $US1.2m. The BCCI and media analysts in Mumbai said that proved the low market value of other national teams to the Indian audience. It's because of that lack of financial interest that the Indians want to play only one team in New York. If they sold each of the games for $US6m, they'd make a mammoth $US42m. They'd lose money if a third partner were involved. The BCCI would also not want to risk the situation in Malaysia when Australia and the West Indies played in the final. That cost it millions. It's believed an indoor NFL stadium in New York would host the games, meaning the matches would be played on a synthetic pitch.