Pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports has acquired exclusive rights in Australia to the national cricket team’s forthcoming tour of Bangladesh.
Australia will play two Test matches in Mirpur and Chittagong, commencing on August 27 and September 4, respectively. They are the last games scheduled before Australia’s home Ashes series against England, which commences on November 23.
Under its deal with the Total Sports Marketing agency, Fox Sports will broadcast the final session of each day’s play live on television with the action in its entirety to be live streamed by the Foxtel Now platform.
The last-minute nature of the rights deal is reportedly due to the uncertainty caused by the labour dispute in Australian cricket.
The Bangladesh series had been in question until Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association agreed terms on a new pay deal earlier this month. After a 10-month negotiation, the ACA and CA agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding for a five-year deal that is set to include male and female players for the first time in Australian cricket.
Australian cricket effectively entered lockout mode on July 1 as the deadline expired for an agreement on a new pay deal.