Cricket: NZ financially secure after eight year agreement

New Zealand Cricket and Pitch International LLP have signed a groundbreaking long-term sponsorship and media rights agreement. Photo / Getty Images.

New Zealand Cricket and Pitch International LLP have signed a groundbreaking long-term sponsorship and media rights agreement which will underpin the financial security of cricket in New Zealand.

Pitch International specialise in the representation of media rights, selling content globally across all media. They work with some of the world's leading sporting federations, clubs and global stars including the English Rugby Union, The Football Association, Six Nations and UEFA.

In the agreement, Pitch International have secured all New Zealand Cricket's media rights for international matches played by the New Zealand team at home from next summer until the 2019/20 season.

Pitch will have the world-wide rights to distribute the matches across various platforms including television, radio, mobile and internet while NZC retain the rights to New Zealand matches broadcast in New Zealand and to their domestic competitions.

An attractive Future Tours Programme helped secure the deal, with New Zealand hosting all the leading cricket nations including India and Australia twice and England three times in the next eight years.

"New Zealand Cricket is delighted to secure the length and value of this extremely important relationship with Pitch," NZC chief executive David White said.

"We are thrilled that Pitch will be helping put the Black Caps in front of so many fans around the world.

"This agreement puts NZC in a position to safeguard the future of our game by allowing us to concentrate on driving participation and support of cricket. Media rights provide revenue that enables us to fund grassroots and community cricket investments, domestic cricket competitions and retain our best professional players in New Zealand."