Foxtel, the Australian pay-TV broadcasting heavyweight, has snapped up exclusive rights to action from the SA20 South African Twenty20 cricket franchise league, with the inaugural edition of that tournament starting today (January 10).
The deal, announced today, will see Fox Sports cover all 33 matches from the six-team franchise tournament in Australia.
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SA20 adds the pay-TV network to a broadcast roster that includes SuperSport domestically, Sky in the UK, and Viacom18 in India.
In terms of other cricket in its portfolio, Foxtel recently extended its deal covering international cricket played in Australia and also shows action from that country's domestic T20 competition, the Big Bash League.
Graeme Smith, the tournament's commissioner, said: "We are excited to take the SA20 to the Australian market. We know the Aussies are big cricket fans, this will be another quality product on their screens."
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Meanwhile, FanCraze, the non-fungible token (NFT) platform, has struck a multi-year deal to become the official digital collectibles partner of the league.
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By GlobalDataThe FanCraze deal was announced late last week and makes the SA20 the first domestic cricket league to launch a range of digital collectibles in its inaugural season.
SA20 has said the deal will “take the league into the metaverse.”
It will involve SA20 and FanCraze launching digital player cards, which will soon be available to purchase via the FanCraze website.
SA20 has said that “current franchise players in the league will be benefitting from the association and revenue streams” as well.
SA20 joins the International Cricket Council, Cricket West Indies, the Asian Cricket Council, and a number of individual teams and leagues in the FanCraze partner stable.
Andrew Breetzke, chief executive of the South African Cricket Association, said: “This partnership between SA20 and FanCraze will further enhance the reputation of the SA20 as a leading league in the world and open up additional revenue streams for players.”
Anshum Bhambri, FanCraze’s chief executive, added: “FanCraze is thrilled to partner with the inaugural SA20. With the launch of SA20 Player Cards and an innovative gaming experience for fans, FanCraze continues to solidify our position as the market leader in cricket digital collectibles.”
The competition was launched by Cricket South Africa in partnership with SuperSport.
SA20’s title sponsor is online betting brand Betway through a deal struck in mid-December.
The six teams – Joburg Super Kings, Pretoria Capitals, Durban’s Super Giants, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Paarl Royals, and MI Cape Town – are all owned by groups that have existing franchises across other global tournaments, including at the Indian Premier League (IPL).
