IPL media rights auction: Disney Star retains TV rights, Viacom18 bags digital rights for Indian subcontinent
India Today
IPL media rights auction: Disney Star and Viacom18 won the TV and digital rights for the Indian subcontinent for 2023-27 for a whopping sum of Rs 44,075 crore. The bidding for two more packages will continue on Tuesday in Mumbai.
The broadcaster monopoly in the Indian Premier League will come to an end as the IPL digital and TV rights for the Indian subcontinent went to two different broadcasters. The Board of Control from Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to make in excess of Rs 45,000 crore from the sale of the broadcast rights for the 2023-2027 cycle.
As the IPL media rights auction spilled over to the third day in Mumbai, it has emerged that Star India has retained the television rights for the Indian subcontinent (Package A) while Viacom18 bagged the digital rights (Package B), which have been sold for an unprecedented figure in the Indian sports broadcasting history.
The bidding for Package C, a special package of non-exclusive matches (18 per season), and Package D (overseas TV and digital) will continue on Tuesday.
Disney Star won Package A for Rs 23,575 crore while Viacom18 grabbed the digital rights with a whopping bid of Rs 20,500 crore on Monday, according to news agency PTI.
The BCCI will make Rs 44,075 crore for 410 matches between 2023 and 2027, from only the sale of the Indian subcontinent TV and digital rights. Notably, Star India had paid Rs 16,347.5 crore for a composite bid for TV and digital rights in 2017 for the 2018-22 cycle.
The cost per match has risen to Rs 107.5 crore, nearly twice the amount paid in the previous cycle. The bidding started with increments of Rs 50 lakh during the initial period and once Package A winner challenged the highest bidder of Package 'B', the incremental bid value was worth Rs 1 crore.
Notably, the BCCI did not allow composite bids for TV and digital, unlike in 2017. Star India had made a composite winning bid despite Facebook emerging as the highest bidder with Rs 3,900 crore for digital rights for 2018-22 cycle.
