Good news for cricket followers – NZC has signed a three-year broadcasting rights deal with MediaWorks Radio to provide live, free-to-air commentary of all BLACKCAPS and WHITE FERNS matches in New Zealand, as well as selected content from domestic competitions.

The new deal will see live, ball-by-ball audio commentary on Magic Talk with 31 frequencies covering the length of the country, and on rova, the MediaWorks streaming app.

The West Indies, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Australian men and women’s teams are all scheduled to visit New Zealand this summer.

MediaWorks is the leading radio network in New Zealand with 2.37 million listeners every week and alongside Magic Talk and rova, includes brands such as Magic Music, The Rock, The Edge, More FM, The Sound, Mai FM, George FM and The Breeze.

NZC chief executive David White was delighted with the agreement and said MediaWorks was an ideal radio partner as the game in New Zealand sought to broaden its reach and welcome new audiences.

“We see great value in this new partnership, and on two fronts in particular,” said Mr White.

“It will tap into, and service, our traditional fans’ love of live radio commentary, but it will also engage with new audiences and hopefully help widen the game’s appeal.”

“The continuity of live, free-to-air, ball-by-ball radio and audio commentary was extremely important to NZC and was always a priority for us in terms of ensuring cricket fans could follow the BLACKCAPS, WHITE FERNS and their favourite domestic teams – whenever they wanted and wherever they were.”

Leon Wratt, MediaWorks Director of Content - Radio says: "We are very excited to be the new radio broadcast and digital audio partner with New Zealand Cricket.”

“Cricket is the sound of summer across New Zealand and we're passionate about making it available to all Kiwis through Magic Talk and our rova app."

More details of the partnership, including commentators, will be announced at a launch event later this month.

Article added: Tuesday 11 August 2020