Australia destruction of India hurting broadcasters' revenue

Melbourne: The Australian cricket team is celebrating its Test demolition of India but the country's board and broadcasters of the lopsided series have been left to count their losses running into millions of dollars in advertising revenue and gate-takings.

Australia have won all three matches of the four-Test series in less than five days with the Perth game finishing in two and a half days only.

The performance is being lauded by fans and media alike but it has also caused losses to broadcasters, Channel Nine, and Cricket Australia.

52 hours or more than six days of cricket have been lost this season as not one of the five Tests against New Zealand or India approached the fifth day.

"It becomes challenging to support our advertisers' needs. We have to make it up to them. In an average summer, you can lose three days play. Losing six days means it's eating into what advertisers expect us to deliver," Channel Nine head David Gyngell told The Daily Telegraph.

"Don't get me wrong - we're not whingeing. The cricket has been fantastic. The Australians have played great - I just wish they'd win over four and a half days instead of three."

Cricket Australia, on the other hand, has lost six days of ticket sales which amounts to 4.5 million dollars. But CA is not complaining given the team's good performance.

Adelaide pitch should suit the Indian batsmen

"There is no doubt that winning games emphatically and early in the way we have creates far more public passion that losing matches the way we did last summer," CA spokesman Peter Young said.

"The public interest in Test cricket is extraordinarily high at the moment and the total TV audience, even with lost time, is higher than it was for the same Ashes Tests in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth last year.

"Attendances have been great as well. Indeed, the Melbourne Test was a record attendance for any Australia-India Test."