India tour of Australia: Virat Kohli missing three tests is bad news for Australian broadcasters

India tour of Australia: Virat Kohli missing three tests is bad news for Australian broadcasters

Virat Kohli in the Adelaide Test 2014

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli leaving India’s tour of Australia at the end of the first Test is not only bad news for the Indian team and their fans but also to Australian broadcasters for whom Kohli was a figure to earn viewers and revenue.

The schedule for the tour was announced on the 26th of October. The first two ODIs on November 27 and 29 are set to be played at the SCG, the third ODI on December 1 and the first T20I on December 4 will take place at Canberra’s Manuka Oval, before the teams return to Sydney for the final two T20Is at the SCG on December 6 and 8.

A pink-ball Test is scheduled to be held at Adelaide Oval between December 17-21, with Adelaide also the backup option for the Boxing Day Test if the COVID-19 situation makes it difficult to conduct the game at the MCG. Otherwise Melbourne will be the venue for Boxing Day (December 26-30) followed by Tests in Sydney (January 7-11) and finally, Brisbane (January 15-19).

Australian broadcaster Channel 7 rues loss of money

The broadcast angle in Australia for India’s tour of Australia is quite complex. Fox Sports which is a paid channel will telecast the limited overs series and the first pink ball Test in Adelaide. This means they will be telecasting all matches where Virat Kohli will play and captain India. Channel 7 which is a free-to-air channel will telecast the Test series alone. This means that they will be able to televise just one match in which Kohli plays a part. This means Fox Sports are at a huge advantage while Channel 7 are disadvantaged.

Fox Sports CEO Steve Crawley, according to The Australian, considers it an accidental win for them. “To have those six games beginning November 27 exclusive on Fox Cricket is a massive thing for us and our greatest ever challenge and our greatest ever triumph already to have him (Kohli) exclusively,” he said.

Kerry Stokes, chairman of Seven West Media that owns Channel 7, blasted Cricket Australia in an interview with The Age: “The company paid a lot of money – a record amount of money – for a quality product and that hasn’t been delivered to us, and nor have they offered us anything in return to make up for what they haven’t delivered,” he said. There already has been a huge rift between Channel 7 and Cricket Australia. Kohli’s absence is only bound to widen the rift.

Also Read: Changes in Indian squad for Australia tour