Couldn't watch New Zealand vs West Indies? Here's why

Onecricket


The first T20I in a three-match series between hosts New Zealand and West Indies turned out to be a high-voltage affair, albeit in a truncated form. The Kiwis were able to register an impressive 5-wicket win in this 16 overs-a-side match after the Windies recovered from 59/5 to post 180/7 in their innings. 

But if you were an Indian cricket fan who wanted to watch this match, alongside or instead of the India vs Australia ODI, you would have been left frustrated searching for the live telecast on TV and prominent streaming platforms. So, where was the live coverage? 

Well, the answer lies in the new deal that New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has signed for the coverage of cricket they host in India. Till now, matches played in New Zealand were telecasted by the Star Sports network through their channels and Hotstar on internet. 

But now, NZC has struck a deal with Amazon that gives the latter’s video streaming platform – Amazon Prime Video - the exclusive rights to telecast cricket played in New Zealand in India. This is a major breakthrough for Amazon as they enter the cricket telecast market for the first time. 

Amazon Prime Video has been making quite a splash in the entertainment sector with various movies and drama series gaining attention. The gaining of cricket broadcasting rights might signal Amazon India’s intention to get into the cricket broadcasting business in a big way. It already streams sports like football and tennis from prestigious tournaments. 

The deal with last until the 2025/26 season. New Zealand Cricket’s broadcasting rights don’t have as much value in India as those of Australia and England in India due to the inconvenient timings. Test matches in the country get underway at 3:30 AM IST while even the day-night ODIs have to begin very early in the morning. 

Still, international cricket’s value as a television commodity remains substantial. The improved performances of the Kiwi side as well as the growing popularity of cricketers from the country also provide some special attraction to the matches played New Zealand. 

 

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