Viacom18 picks up BCCI media rights for ₹ 5.9kcr
BCCI’s international bilateral cricket matches held in India as well as domestic competitions for ₹5,963 crore for a period of five years to 2028.
The bid, however, is lower by ₹175 crore than the ₹6,138 crore Disney Star had paid for the previous fiveyear cycle, a sign that the value of bilateral cricket will be under pressure due to declining viewer interest in the Test and ODI formats.
It translates to a payout of ₹67.76 crore per match, about 10% higher than in the previous cycle that had more matches.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah said Thursday's e-auction has propelled BCCI into the upper echelons of permatch media rights valuation. “Throughout this process, we have steadfastly upheld the principles of transparency and fairness, ensuring that all stakeholders are treated equitably,” he said.
Sources close to the development said Viacom18 bid ₹3,101 crore for digital rights and ₹2,862 crore for TV rights, with the difference between the two sets of rights being a mere ₹239 crore.
They added that Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) was the only other bidder in the fray as Disney Star sat out of the e-auction, having already committed $4.5 billion for Indian Premier League (IPL) TV rights and International Cricket Council (ICC) digital rights.
One of the sources said Sony's bid of ₹5,863 crore was ₹100 crore lower than Viacom18's bid.
