Cricket is the seventh most valuable sport globally by media rights revenues, according to the forthcoming 2024 SportBusiness Global Media Report.

This puts it ahead of motorsport, golf and tennis.

Indeed, the International Olympic Committee called cricket the world’s second most popular sport when announcing its inclusion for the LA 2028 Olympics.

This panel will look at cricket’s future and ask what other sports can learn from its evolution and its prioritising of the fan experience. It will also examine how tech innovations, particularly in digital, are driving change in how it is watched worldwide.

The sport continues to grow commercially, powered by India but also still going strong in its historical territories, notably the UK and Australia.

The panel will also explore future areas for growth beyond traditional strongholds. The US, which co-hosted this year’s ICC T20 World Cup, is a major target market and now has its own league.

Moderated by Imran Yusuf, Editor of SportBusiness Media, the panel will feature three experts from the sports media world:

• Nic Goard, Head of Sport & Content Partnerships, Fox Sports Australia.
• Jake Lush McCrum, chief executive officer of the Royals Sports Group.
• Gaurav Mehta, Co-Founder, Quidich Innovation Labs.

The panel will get to the heart of major questions for the sport as it continues to change in terms of structure and calendar. Among the topics on the agenda, we’ll ask:

• Will the IPL essentially become cricket? It’s already expanding its inventory over the next few years – will this continue until it takes up six or more months of the calendar?
• What does this mean for bilateral series?
• What does the International Cricket Council need to do to ensure its events, such as the World Cup, continue to command strong audiences and media value?
• How big is women’s cricket, and how big could it get?
• How have recent tech innovations boosted engagement and viewership of the game?

For this and more, we look forward to seeing you at Speakers Corner, Sportel Monaco on Tuesday 29 October, 11:00 – 11:45.