Media major Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) on Tuesday announced entering into a strategic licensing agreement with Disney Star for television broadcasting rights of the ICC Men’s and Under-19 global events for a period of four years. While Disney Star will continue to exclusively stream all ICC tournaments through its digital platform Disney+ Hotstar, said a joint statement.
"International Cricket Council (ICC) has in-principle approved this arrangement," it said.
Last week, Disney Star bagged the broadcast rights of all ICC events for four years from 2024 to 2027 for the Indian market from the sport's global governing body.
The association enables ZEEL to be the "exclusive television rights holder of ICC men’s events", including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup which will be played in 2024 and 2026, ICC Men’s Champions Trophy (2025), and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup (2027) along with key ICC U-19 events, it said.
Commenting on the development, ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka said this is a first-of-its-kind partnership in the Indian media & entertainment landscape.
"This association with Disney Star reflects our sharp, strategic vision for the sports business in India. As a one-stop television destination for ICC men’s cricket events until 2027, ZEE will leverage the strength of its network to offer a compelling experience for its viewers and a great return on investment for its advertisers," he said.
ZEEL, which is merging with Sony Pictures Networks India, will evaluate necessary steps that will enable it to make sports a compelling value proposition for the Company.
"ZEE reaffirms its commitment of presenting thrilling international cricket action to viewers and elevating the experience and engagement to unprecedented heights," it said.
Disney Star Country Manager & President K Madhavan said by securing the IPL television broadcast rights for 2023-27 and now opting to retain only the digital rights for ICC tournaments for 2024-27, it has in place a balanced and robust cricket offering across linear and digital.
"Over the years, Disney Star has strengthened the appeal of international cricket in India, enabling it to reach diverse age groups and cultural demographics across all parts of the country. As India’s leading media house, we will continue to do so with our strong portfolio of cricket properties across television and digital,” he said.
With ICC digital rights for the next four years, Disney Star retains its position as the Home of Sports in India.
Its current portfolio also includes the television rights for IPL (2023-27), television and digital rights for Cricket Australia (2023-2030), television and digital BCCI rights (2023) and television and digital rights for Cricket South Africa (end of 2023-2024).