The Guardian has announced an exciting new partnership with Qantas to deliver comprehensive multimedia coverage of the upcoming 2025/26 Ashes series, headlined by the launch of a special edition podcast called Ashes Weekly.
Major Multimedia Cricket Coverage
The iconic Test series between England and Australia begins on Friday 21 November 2025, and The Guardian is pulling out all the stops with an extensive package spanning audio, video, newsletters, digital content and print publications. Qantas will serve as the exclusive sponsor for all Ashes coverage, holding complete share of voice across every format.
This collaboration represents a natural alignment between Qantas's longstanding relationship with Cricket Australia and The Guardian's highly engaged cricket audience. The newspaper's cricket content has generated an impressive 105 million page views over the past year, while research shows that 70% of Guardian podcast listeners plan to spend on holidays or travel in the coming year - making them an ideal audience for an airline brand.
Ashes Weekly Podcast Takes Centre Stage
At the heart of the coverage is Ashes Weekly, co-hosted by Guardian broadcasters Max Rushden from England and Geoff Lemon from Australia. Rushden currently hosts The Guardian's Football Weekly, while Lemon presents The Final Word cricket podcast.
The new show will feature lively debate, expert analysis and irreverent cricket chat throughout the tournament. Recorded on location in Australia during the Test series, new episodes will be released before and after every Test match over eight weeks. The podcast will be available in both video and audio formats.
Listeners can expect contributions from The Guardian's team of cricket journalists including Barney Ronay, Ali Martin, Emma John and Simon Burnton, along with special guests. The first official episode launches on Thursday 20 November, though a pilot episode is already available for listening.
Expanded Ashes Coverage Package
Beyond the flagship podcast, cricket enthusiasts can enjoy several other elements of The Guardian's expanded Ashes coverage:
- The Spin newsletter will dedicate its content exclusively to the Test series for the eight-week duration
- A special interactive feature counting down the 100 greatest Ashes players, as voted by over 50 judges including leading players and Guardian journalists
- Live blogs during each Test match with expert commentary from Rob Smyth, Taha Hashim, Tanya Aldred, James Wallace and Tim de Lisle
Max Rushden expressed his enthusiasm for the project, saying: "It's great to finally have a professional excuse for watching all of the Ashes. I'm hoping the Aussies give us a game for once. I'm very excited to work in the right time zone and can't wait to dip my toe into the world of podcasts."
Australian co-host Geoff Lemon added: "Having written for Guardian Australia since it started, it's always been fun to clash and collaborate with English colleagues. All the better to do it all through the most anticipated Ashes series in 20 years."
Imogen Fox, Global Chief Advertising Officer at Guardian Media Group, highlighted the significance of the partnership: "The Guardian has been brilliant at telling the story of cricket with depth and passion for generations. Partnering with Qantas on this multi-channel Ashes campaign has allowed us to take this love even deeper."
All sponsored content will be clearly labelled in accordance with The Guardian's content funding guidelines. Ashes Weekly is available on theguardian.com/audio and all major podcast platforms.
