Banished David Warner helps players reap TV spoils

David Warner may be the banished bad boy of Australian cricket but his off-field fight in last year's pay war with Cricket Australia has helped to reap all players the spoils they had craved. The Australian Cricketers Association is awaiting the finer details of cricket's new broadcast rights deal with Channel Seven and Foxtel but the reasoning behind the ACA's commitment last year to ensuring the pay model of two decades was preserved was highlighted on Friday in a $1.2 billion broadcast rights deal. CA had wanted to largely torpedo the set-percentage model developed in 1997, although that was later altered amid an ugly fight with the players. The players ultimately won the battle, and will pocket about 27.5 per cent of the game's revenues. A record broadcast rights deal, up from $500 million on the recently-expired five-year deal, will mean the benefits the players fought for and CA signed off on will be met. Under the modernised revenue-sharing formula, a forecast player payment pool of $459 million, based on the assumption there would be Australian cricket revenue of $1.67 billion, is almost guaranteed to be met. This covers male and female players. The men's and women's national teams will also share in a performance pool. Overall female player payments have increased from $7.5 million to $55.2 million. If Australian cricket revenue jumps from $1.67 billion to $1.96 billion, players are to receive 19 per cent of the added money, with grassroots cricket to be given 8.5 per cent. If the $1.96 billion is exceeded, male and female players receive an added 27.5 per cent. After weeks of rugged negotiations, CA chief executive James Sutherland said the broadcast rights deal would also help the sport deliver its five-year strategy, with one aim to be the country's favourite sport.