NRMA, KFC, Toyota and Westpac anchor a huge summer of cricket

The Ashes begin today and Australia’s summer of cricket is already shaping up as one of the biggest commercial battlegrounds of the year.

Major brands are rolling out long-term partnerships, national campaigns and integrated media plays designed to capture mass audiences through the most-watched sporting season on the calendar.

NRMA Insurance has launched a new national brand campaign, ‘Helping the game we love continue to thrive,’ created with Accenture Song. The work celebrates the insurer’s 100-year history and deepening partnership with Cricket Australia, now in its fourth year and recently extended through a new multi-year deal.

The 30-second brand film, built on the Lighthouse platform launched in August, highlights cricket’s role in Australian communities, from local clubs to elite players, and NRMA Insurance’s ambition to support the sport long-term. The campaign runs across broadcast, OOH, digital, in-stadium signage and social content featuring Meg Lanning, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon.

"We’ve helped Australians for 100 years and now we’re using the next innings of our partnership with Cricket Australia to help the game so many of us love continue to thrive," NRMA Insurance executive manager marketing, brand and communications Sally Kiernan said. "Our new campaign shines a light on the enduring role cricket plays as the heartbeat of Australian culture and communities.”

The brand is also launching a series of grassroots initiatives supporting remote cricket clubs dealing with extreme weather and limited daytime play. Through temporary floodlighting, participating clubs will be able to trial extended evening games. The first installation switches on next month at Quorn Cricket Club in South Australia.

News and Kayo go nostalgic 

News Australia and Kayo Sports have launched an integrated campaign built around a 24-page Backyard Cricket Guide celebrating the DIY version of the game that shaped generations. The guide positions Kayo as the home of the Ashes, BBL and WBBL this summer, tapping into nostalgia and family sports culture.

Cricket stars including Adam Gilchrist, Mark Waugh, Mike Hussey, Usman Khawaja and Rachael Haynes share backyard cricket stories and childhood photos. The guide will be distributed through The Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Herald Sun, The Sunday Mail in Queensland and Sunday Mail in South Australia.

Foxtel Group’s group managing director, marketing and revenue Dani Simpson said: “This summer of cricket is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated on record. As the home of sport in Australia, Kayo Sports is where fans will experience every Ashes Test, every BBL and WBBL match plus the biggest international series - all live and uninterrupted.”

The campaign extends across News’ digital, video and social network. Audiences will also be invited to share their own backyard rules, including classics like “no one gets out first ball” and “whoever hits it over the fence has to go get it”.

Seven locks biggest summer yet

Seven is gearing up for what it calls its biggest summer of cricket, securing returning and new partners across the Ashes, BBL and Australia’s multiformat women’s series on Seven and 7plus Sport.

KFC, Toyota, Harvey Norman and Woolworths return as major partners, joined by Westpac, which enters as a new Cricket Australia principal partner. The Ashes broadcast is also backed by NRMA Insurance, Lion, Bunnings and Chemist Warehouse. BBL and WBBL partners include Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, Youi Insurance, Anaconda and Weber, with major integrated packages from Liquorland, Mitsubishi Electric Australia, BKT, Cancer Council Australia, REA Group, bet365, Drummond Golf and Aussie Beef.

The line-up follows a breakout 2024–25 season, when Seven’s cricket coverage reached 17.65 million Australians and streamed strongly on 7plus Sport. The five-Test series against India reached 13.4 million viewers, up 40 per cent year on year.

Seven national television sales director Katie Finney said: “Seven excels in enabling brands to emotionally connect with more Australians than any other network, and nothing stirs national pride quite like The Ashes. The Ashes will be the biggest cultural event of the summer, and Australians are embracing it like never before, with an incredible 700,000 tickets already sold for international matches.”

Westpac chief growth brand and marketing officer Michelle Klein said the partnership “allows us to be part of those moments” that bring Australians together.

The network will introduce expanded broadcast technology across the summer, including Hawkeye, Quidich and StiQy graphics tracking players in real time. Magazine shows such as Unfiltered, The Front Bar: Cricket Edition, The Spin and a standalone Ashes Preview Show will support the schedule.