Prime Minister's XI set to benefit from Cricket Australia $1.2bn deal

Cricket Australia bosses have partnered with Channel Seven and Fox Sports in a landmark deal for the game, severing ties with long-time broadcaster Channel Nine in a deal announced on Friday.

The flow on for Canberra is set to continue, with officials believed to be close to finalising the 2018-19 summer of cricket schedule and locking in a date for a historic Test at Manuka Oval.

It's understood Australia will play against Sri Lanka in the first Test in the capital's history at the end of January or start of February, with Cricket Australia likely to confirm dates as earlys next week.

But the PM's XI fixture got its own boost as part of the rejigged television deal, with the game returning to Fox Sports and to be broadcast for the first time since 2012-13.

The PM's XI has struggled to find its rightful place on the cricket calendar in recent years, overhauled from a 50-over format to a Twenty20 fixture.

Attendances have dipped, attracting more than 10,000 spectators once since 2006, and the game struggled to gain traction after falling into television black hole.

Cricket ACT chief executive Cameron French hopes the return to TV signals a new beginning and is confident it will restore significance to the traditional match.

"Having it back on television is a great thing for Canberra and cricket in the region, it's positive for us and the broader community," French said.

"I think the deal is fantastic for fans first and foremost. There's more cricket on TV than ever before and it's a great deal for women's cricket as well.

"To have the PM's back in the mix ... and this year there was a shift from the selectors as well. In the past it's been the best young players and some reitirees as well.

"But I think there's a move to pick a genuine representative team and hopefully that continues into the future, with the added impotus of having it on broadcast will make it a game of having real relevance."

The ACT government has been working with Cricket Australia officials to get more national and international content in Canberra.

The Test match will be the last part of a four-year deal to have international matches in the capital, but it is hoped more content will follow.

Cricket ACT is hopeful the Test will be well attended and are considering all options to tap into the 14,000 cricket community in Canberra, which could include a general bye for all grades to give them a chance to be in the stands.

Hosting one-day internationals could be an option for Manuka Oval given the 50-over format is struggling to fill major stadiums in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

A Canberra consortium has also launched a Big Bash bid team to be ready to strike when the popular Twenty20 competition expands in the coming seasons.

Meanwhile, Australia's women cricketers emerged as the biggest winners in the new TV rights deal and are set to receive another guaranteed rise in domestic and international exposure.

A year on from their homes Ashes victory, the Australian women's team will now have each of their home international matches simulcast on Seven and Fox Sports, as part of six-year, $1.182 billion game-wide deal.

That set-up flies in direct contrast with the men's team, who will have only their home Test matches shown on free-to-air television and their 50-over and Twenty20 clashes restricted to Fox.

There will also be a significant increase in women's Big Bash League matches televised, with 23 set to be simulcast this summer - almost double the 12 televised in 2017-18.

"The commitment to women's cricket is something that is unprecedented not just for cricket but every other sport," said Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland.

"It's an outstanding result for cricket, it's an outstanding result for cricket fans and certainly for the women's game and women's sport in this country. It's a big step forward.

"And we're very confident it will inspire young girls and women to pick up a ball and a bat and play cricket."