10 May 2013

Legal action over TV rights for cricket

9:06 am on 10 May 2013

Cricket Australia has reportedly launched legal action against the Nine Network, over its failure to broadcast domestic cricket on television.

AAP reports the action could threaten Nine's rights to future Tests, including this year's Ashes series in Australia.

Fairfax has reported that Cricket Australia filed a writ in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Monday, but a judge has sealed the writ because it contains commercial sensitive information.

Cricket Australia has been negotiating with the Ten network for the television rights, but Nine has a clause in its contract that allows it to match any final bid from a rival. Nine has held the tlevision rights since 1977.

The Australian Financial Review says Ten has lodged a $A500 million bid for a five-year deal to broadcast all Tests and domestic competitions.

Cricket Australia is expected to make a decision by July.