Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) dilly-dallying over a domestic restructure that is supposed to sustain the local game may come back to bite the organisation, as reporting in India highlights the troubling future the sport is facing. The Economic Times in India reported this week that broadcast company JioStar wants to get out of its $3bn (R50bn) rights deal with the International Cricket Council (ICC), before the contract expires in 2027. JioStar has faced enormous losses in recent years and is looking to cut costs.
Though the ICC has remained quiet about reports, and it would appear that JioStar — because of the strong terms of the contract — won’t simply be able to walk away, the news should send warning signs flashing at Cricket SA’s headquarters and for the organisation’s provincial affiliates. CSA made R378m in the last financial year as part of its share of ICC revenue, which primarily comes from the broadcast deal signed by JioStar. The genuinely concerning aspect of the JioStar reporting isn’t about that company’s possible withdrawal, but what it indicates about the future.
The next set of rights kick in after the World Cup in South Africa in 2027, and negotiations are tentatively in the works. However, what is widely expected is that the fee will be much lower than what JioStar paid, which many at the time said was too much anyway. It is believed that the ICC informed its national affiliates — which include Cricket SA — that its share of revenues after 2027 would be lower.
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In one case, according to websiteCricbuzz.com, cricket authorities in the Netherlands — an associate member — have reportedly distributed an internal document claiming the ICC informed it to expect a decrease in revenue share by as much as 30% from 2028. CSA has been aware there may be a reduction, hence its decision last year to engage in a sustainability exercise. The problem is the organisation has held more meetings than all the runs scored in Test cricket this year, and appear no closer to implementing a structure that will sustain the sport.
The players body, the South African Cricketers Association is on record as saying CSA needs to move drastically, with savings in the region of R200m needing to be made. That would mean cutting the number of professional unions in the country from 15 provinces to eight, nine or 10. Thus far the only proposals have been to cut the number of professional players.
We are looking at operations, revenue sources…there are a lot of things, it has been an involved process. We have short, medium and long term goals that we want to implement in the next few years.
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