- Disney’s Star has retained the IPL television rights for the 2023-27 cycle in a deal worth ₹23,575 crore
- Digital rights for the annual Twenty20 tournament went to Viacom 18 for ₹23,758 crore.
NE SPORTS BUREAU
MUMBAI, JUNE 16
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to earn a whopping amount of ₹48,380 crore from the sale of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023-27 media rights after the three-day auction in Mumbai.
Viacom18 has acquired the rights to digitally stream Indian Premier League matches in the Indian sub-continent for the seasons from 2023 to 2027. It has also won the India digital rights for a special package of 18 games in every season. Globally, Viacom18 has won television as well as digital rights in three out of five international territories, including major cricketing nations. Viacom18 outbid reputed broadcasters and digital companies to establish itself as a leading digital media, entertainment and sports destination.
After bagging a slew of sporting rights in soccer (FIFA World Cup, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue1), badminton, tennis and basketball (NBA), this is the first major foray of Viacom18 into cricket. The IPL rights make Viacom18 and its platforms one of the largest sporting destinations in the country. This will be an exceptional opportunity for advertisers to reach a larger, younger, more relevant and highly-engaged audience. The targeting opportunities because of Viacom18’s strategic partnership with Jio will be unparalleled.
While Disney Star has retained the IPL television rights for ₹23,575 crore ( ₹57.5 crore/game), the most sought-after India digital rights deal was acquired for ₹20,500 crore by the Reliance backed Viacom which also won the non-exclusive Package C, paying another ₹2,991 crore.
The deal for package A and B is for 410 matches across five years with 74 matches each in 2023 and 2024 and 84 each in 2025 and 2026. The 2027 edition will have 94 games.
Viacom18 entered the fray through a consortium, which has former Star India head Uday Shankar (Bodhi Tree) and James Murdoch (Lupa Systems), in it.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah took to Twitter saying, “I am thrilled to announce that STAR INDIA wins India TV rights with their bid of ₹23,575 crores. The bid is a direct testimony to the BCCI’s organisational capabilities despite two pandemic years.”
“Since its inception, the IPL has been synonymous with growth & today is a red-letter day for India Cricket, with Brand IPL touching a new high with e-auction resulting in INR 48,390 cr value. IPL is now the 2nd most valued sporting league in the world in terms of per match value,” Shah said.
The IPL, in terms of sheer valuation, will now be bracketed in the top-most sporting properties alongside National Football League (USA), National Basketball Association (USA) and English Premier League (England), the most watched sporting event in the world.
The new deal also ends the monopoly of a single broadcaster. Sony had acquired the rights by paying ₹8200 crore for the first 10 years (2008-17) while Star with a bid price of 16347.50 won it for the next five years.
There was a also a Package C, where digital rights of 18 non-exclusive marquee games per season were up for grabs and Viacom18 won it with a winning bid of ₹2991.6 crore at the rate of ₹33.24 crore per match. There are 90 matches in this package.
Package D with a base price of ₹3 crore per game with overseas TV and Digital Rights on offer was sold for more than 1300 crore to Viacom18 and Times Internet.
The value of per IPL match made more than a 100% jump from previous ₹54.5 crore to above ₹114 crore (approx). Globally, the per match value ($14.61 million) in IPL is second only to NFL where every match is worth $17 million.
The packages have been acquired by Viacom for following rights fee
- Indian Subcontinent Digital Rights Package Rs 50 crore
- Indian Subcontinent Digital Rights Special Package Rs 33.24 crore International Territories
- Grouping A (Australia, NZ, Singapore, Caribbean) Rs 0.30 crore
- Grouping C (South Africa, Sub Saharan Africa) Rs 0.65 crore
- Grouping D (UK, Ireland, Continental Europe) Rs 0.50 crore
