Mumbai: The 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) media rights auction has concluded. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sold the rights at a combined value of Rs 48,390 crore. Disney Star has won the TV broadcast rights, Viacom18 has laid claim to the digital rights, including exclusive and non-exclusive games, and Times Internet has won the bid for international media rights.
“IPL is now the second most valued sporting league in the world in terms of per match value!” said BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Tuesday.
“The BCCI will utilize the revenue generated from IPL to strengthen our domestic cricket structure starting from grassroots, to boost infrastructure and spruce up facilities across India & enrich the overall cricket-watching experience.”
He further said, “Now, it’s time for our state associations, IPL franchises to work together with the IPL to enhance the fan experience and ensure that our biggest stakeholder – the cricket fan – is well looked after and enjoys high quality cricket in world-class facilities.”
The bidding for Package C and Package D concluded on Tuesday. Viacom18 and Times Internet shared Package D that included international media rights. Viacom18 won the rights to Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom while Times Internet won the rights to the rest of the world that included the Middle East and Africa (MENA) & US. Package D was sold for Rs 1,058 crore for five years or Rs 2.58 crore per match for 410 matches.
Package A for TV broadcast rights was won by Disney Star at the value of Rs 23,575 crore for five years or Rs 57.50 crore per match for 410 matches. Package B for digital broadcast rights for exclusive matches was sold to Viacom18 at Rs 20,500 crore for five years or Rs 50 crore per match for 410 matches. Viacom18 also won the bid for Package C that included non-exclusive digital matches at a value of Rs 3257.52 crore for five years or Rs 33.24 crore per match for 98 games.
Sony Pictures Networks India MD and CEO NP Singh said, “I want to begin by congratulating and thanking BCCI for an extremely well-managed and transparent bidding process. Next, I want to congratulate the winners of the four IPL media rights packages. The IPL began with SPN and has since developed into one of the world's most popular sporting leagues in its 15-year history. We've seen the league grow and would have liked to see it on the Sony Network again. In this regard, we made a reasonable bid, considering all the expected returns. We had to factor in the market's anticipated expansion and potential economic and other concerns over the next five years. Fiscal prudence, in my opinion, is critical for strategic management.”
The highly anticipated auction was first announced on 29 March by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The contenders for broadcast rights included Disney Star, Sony Pictures Networks India and Viacom18. The bidders for digital rights include Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Disney+ Hotstar and Reliance Jio. Mjunction conducted the auction.
The IPL is the second most valuable sports property after the National Football League (NFL) in terms of broadcast price per match. The value of the media rights per match has reached almost Rs 114 crore leaving the Premier League behind which is valued at around Rs 81 crore per match. The action continues on Wednesday.
