A women's double-header shown live on prime time free-to-air TV will launch the 2016-17 Big Bash League.
Building on the success of the WBBL from last season, four women's matches will be shown live on Network Ten's main channel before the men's competition kick starts with a Sydney derby the following weekend.
In total 12 women's matches will be shown live across the summer, two more than last season, with 10 of them shown on Ten's main channel.
And the competition's opener - between reigning champions Sydney Thunder and the Melbourne Stars - will mark the first time a stand-alone women's sporting competition will be shown live on a free-to-air network's main channel in prime time.
"We operate on a one club, two teams mentality with the men's and women's Big Bash Leagues to give fans greater options with this integrated schedule," Cricket Australia (CA) general manager Mike McKenna said.
"The KFC Big Bash League has become a family-favourite during the summer school holidays and the way the public embraced the Women's Big Bash League last year shows there is strong demand that this schedule is designed to grow."
Expansion of the men's competition also appears to be on the backburner, with CA scheduling no regular season games for regional venues as had been suggested last summer.
The upcoming summer is the second-last on Ten's current TV-rights deal, meaning any expansion teams would likely be brought into the competition in 2018-19.
However it is expected the BBL would like to trial games in regional Queensland and Victoria at least one or two years in advance.
CA has also resisted the temptation to lengthen the competition, instead opting to stick with eight games per team across a 40-day window between December 20 and January 28.
There is also no Christmas Eve or Christmas Day fixture, as had also been speculated, with Adelaide retaining their New Year's Eve party night against the Sydney Sixers.
Big crowds will also likely be expected at a New Year's Day Melbourne derby at the MCG, after the same match attracted a record 80,883 on January 2 this year.
KEY POINTS OF THE BBL06 SCHEDULE:
* A Sydney derby will kick-off the men's BBL at Spotless Stadium on December 20
* Melbourne's big-selling derby at the MCG has been moved to New Year's Day, while Adelaide retains its New Year's Eve match
* Hobart will host a Boxing Day fixture against the Melbourne Stars
* No games have been moved to regional venues, and there is no addition to the number of games
* 12 WBBL matches will be shown live - 10 of them on Network Ten's main channel, including the season-opener in prime time
* There are 14 WBBL-BBL double-headers.
