CRICKET fans looking to watch Australia World Test Championship and ODI World Cup defences will be hit with a paywall after Amazon Prime Video secured the broadcasting rights in Australia for all men’s and women’s International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments.
Free TV Australia, the peak body representing Australia’s commercial free to air broadcasters, recently called for changes to the anti-siphoning rules to be fast tracked to protect Australians’ access to live and free sport following this announcement.
These rules were introduced last week by Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and would require free-to-air services to be offered first refusal for important sporting events.
Local Federal MP Bob Katter has strongly backed these calls.
“We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. Families are struggling to pay their mortgages, put food on the table and fill their cars and now we are stripping them of the joy of watching free live sport,” he said.
“It’s just not cricket – it’s completely un-Australian.”
Mr Katter has vowed to work with Free TV Australia to ensure that the rights of all Australians to watch iconic sporting events on free TV services are upheld.
Keep up with the latest news in Cairns and the Far North, and check out some of our top stories this week: Preparation warning issued for Cairns and New tennis club “grand slam” for players.
