 "BCCI media rights: Viacom18 wins broadcast rights for both TV, digital")
Viacom18 have secured both the TV and digital rights for international matches to be played in India for the next five years (2023-28 cycle). Sports18 will telecast the matches, international and domestic, on TV and it will be live streamed on JioCinema digitally.
The broadcast cycle begins from September 2023 and goes until March 2028 for a grand total of 88 bilateral matches (could go up to 102 matches) involving India. It can be broken down into 25 Tests, 27 ODIs and 36 T20Is. Disney Star had bagged the rights in 2018 for Rs 6,138 crore (Rs 60 crore per match). That valuation has now reached Rs 5,966.4 crore for the five-year cycle - at Rs 67.8 crore per match. In comparison, IPL media rights (digital and TV combined) for 2023-27 cycle had gone for a staggering Rs 48,940 crore (approximately $5.2 billion) last year with Viacom18 sealing the digital rights and Star the TV rights. It set the value of each IPL match at Rs 118 crore. Disney Star, Sony Pictures Network India and Viacom 18 were the three contenders in the fray during the e-auction on 31 August. Viacom18 now hold rights for three of Indian cricket’s biggest properties in bilateral cricket (TV and digital), digital properties for Indian Premier League and both linear and digital for Women’s Premier League (WPL). BCCI general secretary Jay Shah confirmed the development in posts on X (formerly Twitter): “Congratulations @viacom18 🤝 for winning the @BCCI Media Rights for both linear and digital for the next 5 years. India Cricket will continue to grow in both spaces as after @IPL, and @wplt20, we extend the partnership @BCCI Media Rights as well. Together we will continue to capture the imagination of 🇮🇳cricket fans.” He also thanked Disney+ and Star for their coverage over the last five years: “Also a big thank you to @starindia @DisneyPlusHS for your support over the years. You played a key role in making India Cricket reach its fans across the globe.” As per the Invitation to Tender, the base price of TV rights was set at Rs 20 crore per match while that for digital rights was set at Rs 25 crore. In total, it took the base price of each India match, to be broadcast in the sub-continent, to Rs 45 crore. However, BCCI stated that if the combined value of each game falls below Rs 60 crore, they have the right to annul the e-auction.