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Thoughts on Foxtel now set for a takeover by sports streaming giant DAZN with News Corp and Telstra still sticking around albeit in a smaller role ahead of mid-2025

by Sports Benches

It’s been a few months now since Foxtel long desired to put themselves into the shop market by News Corp and Telstra and earlier today, they seem to have struck a takeover deal in sports streaming giant DAZN worth $3.4 billion. That means, DAZN will take over nearly of Foxtel’s business assets with Sky News remaining under News Corp (since News will still hold a small share of the company and not Telstra altogether due to Foxtel’s refinancing structure) while both News Corp and Telstra will each be buying a small cut in return of DAZN.

So looks like Fox Sports Australia including its Fox League (NRL), Fox Footy (AFL) and Fox Cricket cable channels is here to stay, at least for now.

It remains to be seen what will happen with Foxtel’s sports-only streaming service Kayo when DAZN has their own paid streaming platform here as well as their entertainment-only streaming platform Binge, Maybe DAZN might as well either get rid of entertainment, keep everything sports related with or without the Kayo name & have it sold off or merge with Kayo and rename to whatever they want to call it as said above in their quest to rival the real Netflix where they would offer their customers a basic entertainment option with separate add-on access to watch Fox Sports like Stan & Paramount.

Yes, it feels like Comcast buying Sky UK a few years ago back in 2018 off News Corp too when Sky Sports used to feel like being UK’s FOX Sports for so long but that brand is still around today albeit with under the umbrella of NBC Sports in the US – such as Premier League Football, the National Football League (Gridiron) and Golf. Now we are seeing the same thing over in Australia today, although Fox Sports will still have a role here unlike the US and even the UK where you have so many major sports networks competing against each other.

In terms of sports rights, they now have the ability to gain access including all our major sporting codes, acquire more content both here and across other markets to spread the word more about their brand under the one roof and potentially retain them considering their huge success worldwide for a number of years now across the UK, North America, Europe and Asia.

Although with a number of other major Australian sports rights up in the air, it remains to be seen as to whether or not if this will be beneficial to their business like the Supercars Championship in 12 months’ time and the National Rugby League competition come the end of 2027. You never know like Netflix did the other day with the exclusive 2027 & 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer rights they took way from FOX (at least separately) for the US market as for now, DAZN is making big waves while News Corp has its run after 30 years when the revolutionary cable TV era expanded even more back in 1995.

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Thoughts on Valencia CF’s half-finished Nou Mestalla Stadium now set to resume their long-awaited construction works beginning Friday January 10, 2025

by Sports Benches

Valencia CF may be rock bottom right now in this La Liga season so far down in 20th ahead of their next match v Alaves not too long from now, but at least they will finally be able to resume works of their half-finished Nou Mestalla stadium (the one is still sitting there over the past 15 years that dates back to 2009) starting Friday January 10th. This credit comes after the club’s refinancing structure with Goldman Sachs that was struck a few months ago, who will give them half of the €325 million euros, in order to finish the works just 30 months between now through June 2027.

Then it remains to seen even if Nou Mestalla finally comes into life & move there at some point as to whether or not Valencia can host some of the 2030 FIFA World Cup games where Spain is sharing it as co-hosts with Morocco and Portugal.

First of all, it’s sad to see Valencia sunk this low who was once a dominant force in this competition and across Europe back in the early 2000s to now trying to just stay up at the bottom half of the league.

If Valencia lose to Alaves later tonight, we could see the last of Ruben Baraja as head coach irrespective of the board management situation. Regardless of that, glad to hear that Nou Mestalla can be saved with construction workers now allowed to arrive back at the building & finish things off not too long from now rather than knocking it down for something else that isn’t to do with the club. It would be such a pity if this has happened but again, they’re good to go – as long as board politics don’t stand in their way once more like it was before.

Let’s hope they can make the most of the next 30 months that will benefit the club’s full potential including surrounding places like bars, restaurants and mixed-use businesses in the Benicalap area as well.

Time will tell as everyone will be keeping a close eye on this even if Valencia is not able to stay off relegation and had to play the second division competition next season. See West Ham who was once relegated from the PL back in 2010-11 down in 20th, spent a season in the Championship and got that promotion back via Play-Offs, and now have been established back in the top-flight since then including a move to the Olympic Stadium over time back in 2016 despite its drawbacks & yet they’ve also won a European club trophy (Conference League). If West Ham could do it with bad owners, why can’t Valencia – although the ownership could change at some point.

Update on the Valencia v Alaves game: This turned out to be a much-needed draw thanks to Diego Lopez’s last-gasp goal that secured their 2-2 draw right before full-time at the 98th minute. There’s still a long way to go though just four points off the bottom three in 19th.

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24/25 EFL Championship: Hull City celebrate Christmas now out of the bottom three with Ruben Selles & Mason Burstow following their 2-1 home win over Swansea City

by Sports Benches

It’s been a while but Hull City were able to celebrate Christmas on home soil with the win 2-1 earlier this AM over the Welsh side Swansea City thanks to that game winning strike from summer striker signing Mason Burstow with about ten minutes to go and not only that, they now sit just above the bottom three League One (third-tier) relegation spots in 21st place.

Fair play to Swansea off the back their good defensive line coupled with Harry Darling’s good header when they made some progress right before half-time, who plays centre-back & has been a great addition to the squad for 2-3 years now, when now sacked Southampton manager Russell Martin brought him over to Wales in the first place during that time from MK Dons.

It’s just a shame that a few hit and misses on the counter-attack including the goal kick restart allowed Hull to take back with their 2nd goal before it was too late.

They remain 12th on the ladder after 22 games of 46 where Swansea is currently nine points off the 6th-placed Playoffs bubble at 27. So still lots of work to do if they are going to bridge that gap between now and May under another former MK Dons coaching alum in Luke Williams.

Meanwhile, looks like the Ruben Selles era is so far, so good – having came in there to try and turn this around like he did with the troubled Reading FC side over the past 18 months over in League 1 (third-tier). Good to see them score one early while making the most out of their chances up front. 

Yes, they may have been bossed by Swansea later on when it comes to the possession. But at least Hull got away with it as said above when they had the chance to regain the lead once more thanks to Swansea’s late goal kick error and Hull has done enough to hold off the Swans through full-time 2-1. 

Plus, good to see Mason Burstow registering Goal No.2 this term and that came under the new management initially  with Andy Dawson and now Selles when German Tim Walter didn’t treat him well until he was shown the door three months ago. He’s still got lots to prove having came over during the summer from Chelsea following his underwhelming loan spell last season at Sunderland. 

Yes, he’s seeing another raft of coaching changes yet again but looks like he’s happy this time for the minute as scoring at least 10 + will do it at this level since he doesn’t score as much – as he’s got the same height as Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the ability of Cameron Archer and also Armando Broja too (still on Chelsea’s books but is currently on-loan though at Everton).

The fight continues for Hull to climb up the ladder and steer clear away from the bottom three (depending on results of course) when they head off to Lancashire against Preston North End on Boxing Day Thursday (Friday 2 AM AEDT) with Swansea hosting London side QPR at the same time (Swansea.com Stadium).

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Day 5 of the 3rd Test Review: Aussies tried the best they can to meet catch-up but still more persistent rainy weather decided its fate at The Gabba with the draw

by Sports Benches

Update as of Day 5: Game is drawn now thanks to yet another rain delay that left little opportunity for the Aussies to close out the match. Yes, they might have finally bowled India all out for 260 before they fell off so quickly when they’ve batted the 2nd time & declared right on the spot after the Aussies had enough; but then the rain came to say it’s too late. Hence, the series remains tied at 1-1 apiece Test with two more left to play for going into Thursday next week for the annual Boxing Day Test showdown at the MCG in Melbourne.

What does the Aussies have to do to keep themselves focused on the right track & not let India take way the series trophy that they haven’t had for a long time? 

I know Josh Hazlewood has been the glue of that “Fast Bowling Cartel” cohort over the past decade alongside Mitchell Starc & Pat Cummins but better still, should’ve kept Scott Boland and hold Hazlewood back at the next right time like the New Year’s Sydney Test instead of rushing back to like now. Unfortunately, that didn’t go well when he suffered a calf strain while warming up first thing yesterday as he won’t be back for a while – don’t know when but not for the rest of this series.

With the batting, not bad considering how good we were other than the sugar rushed Day 5 spell they had to put in ahead of the declaration. Although Travis Head wasn’t feeling good earlier today due to a tight quad issue on his thigh, let’s hope it won’t be too serious since he has been the saviour to our batting card. But not much of a chance now for Nathan McSweeney to nail down his spot as Test Opener at least for now unless he goes back to Shield level with South Australia & scores consistently big over the next 12 months if he continues to get sent back for peanuts. 

There’s a few others waiting in-line to make their first steps with the Baggy Green like the 19-year-old sensation Sam Konstas from NSW & St George (Hurstville) in Sydney Premier Cricket – we will find this out towards the end of 2024 for sure before it’s stay or go time for McSweeney who does in fact hail from Queensland. 

For now, still long way to with still lots to play for as anything can happen in this Border-Gavaskar Trophy. And shoutout to Ravi Ashwin by the way on his decorated International career following his retirement post-game as he won’t be taking any further part from now, even though there’s still a bit of play left in this series. It won’t be the same without him from someone who has been India’s primary spinner for a long time as we wish him the best of luck.

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Day 3/4 of Test 3 Review: Australia continue to take wickets where possible but India had the last say at times ahead of the fifth and final day tomorrow at The Gabba

by Sports Benches

Off the back of a successful Day 2 spell from the bat by the Aussies including Alex Carey’s stunning 70-run smash as their primary keeper (and also last man out prior to the change of innings), they weren’t bad yesterday on the field & the red kookaburra ball with early wickets when India had the chance to reply at the crease – despite elements of yesterday’s play being held up by that continuous Brisbane rainy weather at The Gabba. 

They walked into Day 4 earlier today knowing the Aussies still had a job to do which they did for the most part but not up to their full potential unfortunately, even though they’re only had one wicket to try and force India to follow on before it was too late. Not even the sad injury news by Josh Hazlewood during the warm-up session delivered a crushing blow and he won’t be back for quite a while now due to his calf strain that he pulled up there. 

Instead, we saw some amazing moments by the Men In Blue like KL Rahul’s 82, Ravi Jadeja’s 77 when he paused a bit to celebrate with the sword like he always do every time he reaches 50, and the very lower-order partnership between Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep – whom both of them scored really quickly to get past these tired bowlers over at No.‘s 10 and 11. 

The good is though that the Aussies can finish this little job for yet another try first thing tomorrow morning at Day 5. But then the race is on over the next final 6-7 hours in order to bat again for a bit if they can pile up the runs quick smart and then declare right on the spot to try and win the unlikeliest of chances of going 2-1 up in this five-test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series ahead of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG (Melbourne) next week. 

But right now amid a series of rain delays over the last few days, looks like we will see out a draw for this one – unless Australia plays it smart as said above (an outside chance) or India bowls them out quickly once again before looking to bat big & bring it home (extremely unlikely).

Better still, this is the contest and standard we love watching from both sides when it comes to the long-running Test Cricket format at the end of the day.

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Day 1/2 of the 3rd Test Review: The Aussies overcome early fall with a statement batting day thanks to Travis Head once again including Steve Smith at The Gabba in Brisbane

by Sports Benches

We thought the Aussies were doomed right from the start this morning like it was so far in this five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series when our Top 3 batters have already been kicked out that early when we didn’t see much of Day 1 yesterday due to heavy rain. Well, fair enough to India who always keep on winning tosses; although they decided to go things so differently by bowling/fielding first rather than the bat. But hey, so we’re grateful for Travis Head who saved our day once again with another 100 off the back of his hometown heroics when he tamed the pink ball last weekend (2nd Test) at Adelaide Oval. 

Then he was joined by Steve Smith not long later having not made a big knock in a long while & he’s done just that to silence the critics who thought he is done at Test level but not just yet. Now that is courageous stuff from the Aussies as they’re currently on 405-7 with keeper Alex Carey (geez he’s been scoring oh so quick!!) currently on 45 alongside fast bowler Mitchell Starc at the tail end on seven & sure he can add the runs a bit like before.

Whatever happens towards the end of their first batting shift, let’s hope they can bowl India as early and quickly as they can in the hope of setting up a 2-1 series lead ahead of the Boxing Day test at the MCG in Melbourne come December 26.

Yes, like to give a shoutout to Jasprit Bumrah also over in the Indian dressing room with his five-wicket haul. But still, it’s been a turbulent day on the field with the seamers taking up the heavy work despite their good start. Don’t know what went wrong there when India were so good in the first test a few weeks ago at Perth and now they seem to have lost it. Not even some  selection changes have helped either as they better be ready to score at least 300-400 tomorrow once the change of innings have been made for Day 3 of 5.

For now, there’s a bit more cricket other than Tests with the T20 Big Bash League actually starting right now to kick off the new six-week season – perfect time to go out once the long school holidays are in during the summer. The opening game will be five-time champions Perth Scorchers who just welcomed the visiting Melbourne Stars side at Optus Stadium. 

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Day 3 of the 2nd Test Australia v India 24/25: Sensational finish for this arvo & result by Pat Cummins, Travis Head plus Usman Khawaja & Nathan McSweeney

by Sports Benches

The weekend has finished early now off the back of our winning runs by the Aussie Men’s Test Team – things we love to see!!

There has been a whole more South Australian brilliance in front of Adelaide Oval including our brilliant finish to this 3rd innings shift on the field/ from Captain Pat Cummins whose short ball bowling approach paid off right on time that helped set up an amazing 19-run finish & here they are celebrating just inside those three days following their ten wicket win. 

We just couldn’t get enough of Travis Head as said above who not just scored a Test 100 with Alex Carey by his side but also caught a few courageous catches too while we could’ve seen a possible Test 50 from one of SA’s openers Nathan McSweeney but at least he scored some valiant runs including this afternoon’s easy run chase with still a long way to go.

For India, it seems their selection purely to dominate these conditions with the pink ball didn’t pay off unfortunately. Yes, we saw some brilliant flashes of brilliance like Jasprit Bumrah leading the way with the ball as well as some outrageous batting shot selections that led to some quickfire runs by Rishabh Pant & that quick all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy who top scored 40 in both spells. But again, their poor start coupled with that top-order collapse once again (2nd innings) allowed Australia to fight one back – and the rest is history especially in Adelaide.

Now that the Aussies are back in this fight for the ultimate five-match heavyweight series belt (Border-Gavaskar Trophy), will they keep the same fast bowling squad that made them click in this Test? Hard to tell when you got Josh Hazlewood knocking on our doors again – despite Scott Boland doing extremely well in his place & so does Mitchell Starc even though he made some mistakes with the no balls but can also score some runs.

Plus, what about the batting? Not bad apart from Steve Smith’s continued poor form for yet another straight time at 4 including his fielding work, although Marnus Labuschagne is was at his best again was the other day for 64 at first drop. But I guess the Aussies would want to keep our whole winning XI near changed/unchanged ahead of the 3rd Test starting next Saturday as both teams now head off to The Gabba in Brisbane.

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Day/Night 2 of the 2nd Test Australia v India 24/25: Travis Head the local hero who saved their day with the bat followed up by more Aussie early wickets under the lights

by Sports Benches

One word to describe Day 2’s play of the Day/Night Test at Adelaide Oval: Phenomenal. Yes, that’s right because our Aussie Test side has been smashing it left, right and centre – both bat and ball. 

Yes, most of our top order batters sans Marnus Labuschagne (scored okay on 64) may not have gone far as they would’ve liked at the hands of the always reliable Jasprit Bumrah alongside Mohammed Sirah who later demolished our tail end. 

Although I wouldn’t discount that much on the new opener Nathan McSweeney (current SA player too) following his sound knock for 39. For Steve Smith though, looks like his magic tricks have continued to wane though following a string of his poor scoring record, especially at age 35.

Don’t know what to say but better to give the best Shield batter in place then for this next Test don’t you think? while there’s still more time for McSweeney to prove his worth in the hope of forging a long-term stint there much like his other SA players.

This is where we continue to see the best from No.5’s Travis Head who got away with his Test Match 100, which is things we love to see with fellow SA team-mate & first-choice keeper Alex Carey by his side before we were all out for 337 with 157 run advantage not long after the dinner break.

Fortunately, we continued to follow up with a stunning impact when the Aussies were flying on the field and also with the ball once again thanks to India’s early wicket dismissals – such as the young left-hand opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and of course, Virat Kohli. There’s a still a long way to go ahead of Day 3 tomorrow afternoon with the destructive keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant still in the middle with Nitish Kumar Reddy as getting these two out would be the key towards winning this Test Match.

Gotta say Scott Boland was there at the right place at the right time as wondering if he could keep Josh Hazlewood out for the 3rd Test at The Gabba in Brisbane? Meanwhile, every time Pat Cummins gets a wicket, love seeing celebrate with pride for the Baggy Green. And yes, Mitchell Starc may had a series of no balls over the line tonight but he’s still the best we got with the pink ball while being able to score runs for a bit.

It’s up to the Aussies now to finish off the other half’s job now by going one step closer to go 1-1 all with the bat in this five-match series as India currently on 128/5 and 29 runs behind the run trail.

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24/25 EFL Championship: A goal apiece from each of their own right backs saw Middlesbrough deny Burnley the chance to go up the table 1-1 this weekend at Turf Moor

by Sports Benches

It’s been a draw between the two sides earlier this morning and the bottom line is that Middlesbrough denied Burnley the chance to top the EFL Championship table by a single point the other way round ahead of Sheffield United (38 points) after 19 games in out of 46 at Turf Moor. 

Middlesbrough currently sitting 5th off the back of their excellent summer recruitment drive like Tommy Conway up front to suit Michael Carrick’s coaching tactics from Bristol City that led to some valiant progress as of late. 

They’re just inside the Top 6 Play-Off spots with still a long way go if Middlesbrough wish to at least lock up the automatic Top 2 promotion in order to get back to the EPL ahead of Watford by a single point at 31 and three ahead of both West Brom (7th) & Blackburn Rovers (8th).

Good start by the way thanks to right-back Anfernee Dijksteel earlier on, although the opposite team’s right-back Connor Roberts snatched one back for Burnley later in the first half. But then things were quiet since then, especially when it’s now winter over in the UK. 

It could’ve been any better for Burnley other than the solid defensive structure/line-up they’ve got when their attack hasn’t been that good at times. But with more attacking firepower, particularly when they need a No.9 Centre-Forward up front to help out the ageing & experienced Jay Rodriguez, would help them set the benchmark ahead of the likes of Leeds, Sheffield United and Sunderland between the January transfer window and May.

The good news is though that they can go into next week still 2nd depending on this weekend’s results before there’s mid-week soccer coming up in a few days’ time. 

So Burnley take on Derby County (14th) still at Turf Moor while Middlesbrough still away but not far within Yorkshire when they will take on fellow Top 2 contenders Leeds at Elland Roar – both matches taking place just before 7am Wednesday.

Elsewhere, there has been a ring of head coaching changes lately beginning with Frank Lampard’s appointment at Coventry City in place of long-term former manager Mark Robins after nearly eight years – slow start but we’ll come back in a few months’ time.

Plus, Cardiff City decided to install another first-time manager yet again until the end of this season in none other than Omer Riza following another top job uncertainty since they’ve sacked Erol Bulut earlier this season. 

And having seen Hull City sack Tim Walter, they’ve now prized Spaniard Ruben Selles away from Reading after he did a fantastic job there whilst the club is still currently in crisis currently 6th in League 1. 

Wondering who that may be? Considering they are still no closer towards accepting new ownership at the Majeski Stadium ahead of the January buy/sell window next month. Just found out now that it will be Noel Hunt who will be taking over full-time effective immediately on a two and a half year deal. Now that was quick so fans can move on fast in the hope of going back to the second tier (Championship) at season’s end either way.

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Day/Night 1 of the 2nd Test Australia v India 24/25: So far, So good both bat and ball in the hope of building something phenomenal going into Day 2 this afternoon

by Sports Benches

I must say that Day & Night 1 of the 2nd Test of our 2024/25 Test Summer was buzzing not just Adelaide Oval but also from our Aussies as well. 

Likewise from also the opening day of the opening test even though they did lose the toss, they did extremely well with the ball for a start – albeit a slightly higher score (India all out for 180) alongside a slightly altered bowling attack since Josh Hazlewood wasn’t unable to play in this Test. 

Hats off to Mitchell Starc on his six-wicket haul who continues to shine with the pink ball while Scott Boland has no problem filling in Hazlewood’s role as our other starring fast bowler with two wickets on hand.

From India’s end, they decided to change things up with their selection due to their mindset to try and win it in these different conditions, especially with pink ball when playing some at night. Yes, their opening batting shift didn’t go well as expected, although good to see Nitish Kumar Reddy scoring 42 from the lower end at 7 – not bad from a fast-bowling all-rounder there. 

They still have some sort of advantage though as you never know what India could do to cause more damage once they come back refreshed from overnight, having saw that coming when Usman Khawaja got caught out last night by Rohit Sharma at slip off Jasprit Bumrah.

And finally, the Aussies had the final say to close out the opening day’s shift & safe to say it’s so far, so good. There’s still more work to do in order to build a big partnership over the next 1-2 days. 

We got Marnus Labuschagne eventually up and running currently on 20 whereas how good was SA’s own player Nathan McSweeney proving his worth like a true Opening batter (a bit like Dave Warner but with his right hand) in front of his own state turf as he’s on 38. Let’s hope he gets his 50 very soon before he hangs in there long enough to collect his first Test 100 having done so many times for SA before at Sheffield Shield level. 

Watch this space from the Aussies to hopefully eat the 94-run trail, put the pressure back to the Indian bowlers with runs on the board & then convert it into a solid lead when they will resume at the crease this afternoon (Day 2) at 86/1.

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