Bigger slice of cricket's global funding pie predicted
Hong Kong Association's current annual allocation of US$350,000 from ICC likely to double
Hong Kong can expect a bumper 100 per cent increase in funding from the International Cricket Council, which announced its biggest-ever global broadcast deal estimated to be worth more than US$2 billion.
"The pie has got bigger and we are reasonably optimistic we will get more money when the new deal kicks in from 2016," said John Cribbin, secretary of the Hong Kong Cricket Association, on Wednesday.
Cribbin will travel next week to Dubai where the ICC is headquartered for a high-level meeting where the ramifications of the new deal with Star India and Star Middle East will be unveiled.
A 100 per cent jump would not be unrealistic, or out of the way to hope for
The two Star channels were jointly awarded the audio-visual broadcast rights for ICC events from 2015-2023. The previous deal from 2007 to 2015 with ESPN Star Sports was reported to be worth US$1.1 billion.
Hong Kong - one of the top six associate countries alongside Ireland, Scotland, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates and Papua New Guinea - is expected to benefit hugely with more funding for the national squad, which now has ODI status and will play in the Intercontinental Cup next year.
"Right now we get annual funding of US$350,000 from the ICC, and a 100 per cent jump would not be unrealistic, or out of the way to hope for," Cribbin said. "It will take a little time for all this to be sorted out and to come out of the wash, but the bottom line is that we can expect more funding.
ICC chairman N. Srinivasan has already stated the new deal will be a huge boon for emerging countries.
"This commitment for the next eight years will ensure greater stability for ICC members as well as increased funding for developing and established countries. Emerging nations will have access to the largest funding resource in the history of the game and the board has fully endorsed this framework as the best means of safeguarding the future of the sport," Srinivasan said.
Previously, 75 per cent of the broadcasting rights were split equally among the 10 full members with the balance going to development.
But the Board of Control for Cricket in India objected to this and along with Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board - the Big Three - will now get a larger portion of the pie.
The new broadcasting deal begins at the end of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand (in March) and runs for eight years, comprising 18 ICC tournaments, including two World Cups (2019 and 2023), two Champions Trophy tournaments (2017 and 2021) and two ICC World T20 tournaments (2016 and 2020).
