DAZN has secured the UK broadcast rights to Australia’s two-Test series against Bangladesh this month, giving the global streaming platform its first standalone international cricket property as competition develops around Cricket Australia’s more valuable upcoming rights. According to an exclusive report by The Guardian’s Matt Hughes, the agreement is a one-off deal, with negotiations continuing over Cricket Australia’s other UK broadcast properties.
The Tests in Darwin and Mackay will take DAZN into a new area of live cricket coverage, expanding a sports portfolio traditionally centred on football and combat sports. Its previous cricket involvement in the UK came through a joint arrangement with Sky Sports for the 2023 Indian Premier League.
DAZN strengthens its position in Australian cricket
DAZN’s move into international cricket follows its acquisition of Australian pay-TV company Foxtel last year. Foxtel holds Cricket Australia’s domestic broadcast rights through 2031, giving DAZN an existing commercial connection to Australian cricket as it expands its interest in the sport.
For the Bangladesh Tests, DAZN is expected to use coverage produced by host broadcaster Fox Sports rather than create a separate UK production.
The one-off agreement also gives DAZN an opportunity to establish itself as a destination for Australian international cricket in the UK while Cricket Australia determines how to distribute its remaining overseas rights.
England fixtures remain key broadcast properties
Attention will now turn to the rights for England’s white-ball tour of Australia later this year, which comprises eight ODI and T20 matches. Australia will also host England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground next March for the one-off Test commemorating the 150th anniversary of Test cricket.
Other broadcasters have shown interest in Cricket Australia’s available UK properties, but DAZN’s decision to acquire the Bangladesh series places the platform directly into the market ahead of negotiations over those higher-profile fixtures.
As previously reported by cricexec, Cricket Australia had been discussing a proposed four-year UK rights package with multiple broadcasters, including DAZN and Amazon. The proposed agreement was built around major properties including the men’s and women’s Ashes, England’s white-ball fixtures in Australia and the 150th anniversary Test at the MCG, as the governing body sought greater long-term stability for its UK rights.
UK rights market opens door for new platforms
Cricket Australia has faced a more challenging UK broadcast environment in recent years as traditional networks have become increasingly selective over overseas bilateral cricket.
Sky Sports has moved away from carrying England’s winter tours, although it retains rights to the Big Bash League. England’s previous three men’s Ashes tours of Australia have meanwhile been carried by TNT Sports and its predecessor BT Sport.
That changing market creates an opening for DAZN as it builds its cricket footprint. Beyond the immediate negotiations around England’s upcoming fixtures, the platform could also emerge as a contender when rights for the 2029-30 men’s Ashes tour become available.
Bangladesh Tests mark first step for DAZN
Australia’s Bangladesh series begins this month and represents a relatively contained entry point for DAZN into international cricket broadcasting before Cricket Australia resolves the future of its broader UK rights portfolio.
For Cricket Australia, the agreement provides a UK home for the two Tests while allowing negotiations over its remaining properties to continue. For DAZN, it adds international cricket to its live sports offering at a time when several significant Australian rights packages remain in play.
The immediate focus will now shift to how Cricket Australia allocates the UK rights to England’s white-ball tour and the anniversary Test, with DAZN having established a presence in the market through the Bangladesh series.
