Reliance-owned Viacom 18 has bagged TV and digital rights for Indian cricket team's home matches for five years, PTI reported. The media rights are for a five-year period from 2023 to 2028.
Viacom 18 was locked in a three-way fight with Disney Star and Sony Sports for BCCI's media rights in the auction. During the period, Viacom 18 will broadcast over 85 matches involving India and the number may well go above 100.
Thus, between 2023 to 2028, cricket matches will be broadcast on Sports 18 and will be streamed on the JioCinema app.
Presently, Disney Star holds the media rights for both TV and digital platform. Disney Star won the media rights for for Rs. 6,138 crore (Rs 60 crore per match) in the last auction.
At the auction, the BBCI media rights were available in two packages. For TV rights, the base price was of Rs 20 crore per match. For the digital and rest of the world package, the base price was Rs 25 crore for a match.
"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 of BCCI media rights as well. Together we will continue to capture the imagination of Indian cricket fans," BCCI secretary Jay Shah posted on X.
"Also, a big thank you to Star India and Disney Plus HS for your support over the years. You played a key role in making India Cricket reach its fans across the globe," Shah said.
The IPL media rights for both digital and TV for 2023-27 was sold for Rs 48,940 crore. While Viacom18 sealed the digital rights, Star got the TV rights. The value of each IPL match was at Rs 118 crore.
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