Prime Video and Cognizant Major League Cricket (MLC) have unveiled a partnership to grant Prime Video exclusive broadcast rights in Australia and New Zealand for the 2024 MLC season.
All 25 matches will be available on Prime Video in Australia and New Zealand from 6 July – 29 July local time (5 July – 28 July in the USA) at no extra cost to a Prime or Prime Video membership.
The announcement comes after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which Prime Video also had the exclusive broadcast rights to. Co-host of the tournament the USA progressed to the Super Eight stage in their tournament debut.
The second season of MLC will provide a stage for international T20 superstars to compete alongside the USA’s top domestic players from six major cities: Dallas, San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C.
Across the six teams, eight Australian players and five New Zealander players have been confirmed to participate in the tournament.
• Australian Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins joins the San Francisco Unicorns alongside bowler Josh Inglis, batter Jake Fraser-McGurk, and New Zealand all-rounder Matt Henry.
• Seattle Orcas have nabbed Kiwi batsman Michael Bracewell and bowler Lance Morris.
• Washington Freedom have secured Ricky Ponting as coach, as well as Australian batters Steve Smith, Travis Head, and Glenn Maxwell. New Zealand’s bowlers Rachin Ravindra and Lockie Ferguson are also named in the squad.
• MI New York will see batter Tim David and bowler Trent Boult return for a second season.
• Australian bowler Adam Zampa will join the Los Angeles Knight Riders.
“At Prime Video, we are always looking for ways to deliver more value to our customers across our movies, TV series and live sports offerings,” said Hushidar Kharas, Head of Prime Video Australia and New Zealand.
“The feedback from cricket fans in Australia for our first major event, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, has been really positive and we are delighted to expand our live sports offering through the Cognizant Major League Cricket. We are also excited to offer our customers in New Zealand the first live sports event included in their Prime Video membership.”
“We are thrilled to announce Prime Video as our broadcast partner for Cognizant Major League Cricket in New Zealand and Australia,” said MLC’s CEO, Vijay Srinivasan.
“This partnership marks a significant milestone in our journey to grow the season, which is in it’s second year, as well as bring the excitement of cricket to fans across the globe. Prime Video has solidified its position as a premier destination for cricket enthusiasts in Australia and New Zealand, showcasing major events such as the World Cup and acclaimed series such as The Test.
“MLC eagerly anticipates joining this platform, poised to contribute thrilling cricket action to its global audience through Prime Video’s extensive reach and expertise.”
The MLC and Prime Video partnership comes as the Prominence and Anti-Siphoning Bill was passed without amendment by the Senate last week.
This means subscription streamers, such as Prime Video, Netflix and Foxtel’s Kayo could now outbid free-to-air networks for digital streaming rights for Australian sporting events.
While streaming services, as well as subscription TV, cannot buy the free broadcast (aerial delivered) rights until a free-to-air broadcaster, such as Nine, Seven, or 10, has acquired them, they are not stopped from bidding on the streaming rights that free-to-air broadcasters currently have on their respective BVOD services (9Now, 7Plus, 10 Play or SBS On Demand).
See also: Streamers can now outbid free-to-air networks for digital sports streaming rights