The team provided “invaluable expertise” in negotiating the new broadcast partnership, NC Cricket’s GC says
MinterEllisonRuddWatts dealmakers helped craft the new NZ Cricket (NZC) broadcasting partnership.
NZC announced Thursday that it has awarded the broadcasting rights to cricket matches played in New Zealand for the next six years to Spark. MinterEllisonRuddWatts lawyers counselled NZC in negotiations of the agreement.
When the current deal with Sky ends in April next year, Spark will have the rights to broadcast all international and selected domestic cricket games played in New Zealand. These include all Black Caps and White Ferns matches played in-country; all men’s and women’s Super Smash matches, including semi-finals and the final; and the Ford Trophy final and the New Zealand Cricket Awards.
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Spark Sports and TVNZ, which is Spark’s free-to-air partner, will air the games, which means games will be brought to fans via a combination of streaming and free-to-air broadcast. Financial details of the new rights deal, which has a six-year term, were not disclosed.
“We wish NZC, Spark and TVNZ well as they embark on this partnership bringing men’s and women’s cricket to a wide fanbase in New Zealand and around the world,” said corporate and commercial partner Richard Wells, who headed the MinterEllisonRuddWatts team.
The work has earned Wells and the team praise from Chris Smith, NZC general counsel. “We appreciate the invaluable expertise and support of Richard Wells and the team at MinterEllisonRuddWatts in entering our new broadcast partnership with Spark and TVNZ,” he said.