New Zealand’s Sky Sport seals six-season Cricket Australia extension

New Zealand pay-television broadcaster Sky Sport has signed a new six-year rights deal with Cricket Australia.

The exclusive deal covers the 2019-20 to 2024-25 cricket seasons and grants Sky Sport rights to Australia’s men’s and women’s internationals, Big Bash League and Women’s Big Bash League matches, men’s domestic one-day matches, Prime Minister’s XI matches, Governor-General’s XI matches and Sheffield Shield finals.

The deal includes coverage of the upcoming New Zealand vs Australia Test series, which begins on Boxing Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and the one-day international series in January 2020.

New Zealand is also scheduled to play a one-day international series in Australia from February 2021. Other men’s international tours to Australia covered by the deal include the 2021 Ashes series against England, and visits from Pakistan, India, South Africa, West Indies and Sri Lanka.

Women’s matches covered by the agreement include an Ashes series, a New Zealand one-day international tour, and back-to-back Twenty20 International Tri Series between Australia, England and India in 2020 and 2021.

Sky’s previous agreement with Cricket Australia had been due to expire at the end of 2019.