Viacom18 wins BCCI media rights for ₹5,963 cr
NEW DELHI, MUMBAI : Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd, a unit of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), secured the media rights for all bilateral cricket matches to be played in India during the next five years for ₹5,963 crore through the e-auction conducted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday. The RIL-run broadcaster outbid Sony Pictures Networks India across digital and television, while the third bidder, Disney Star, placed just a couple of bids, according to two people familiar with the development.
The winning bid for digital and the rest of the world rights was at ₹3,101 crore, translating to ₹35.23 crore per match, far exceeding the base price of ₹25 crore. Linear TV rights were sold for ₹2,862 crore, or ₹32.52 crore per match, surpassing the per-match reserve price of ₹20 crore. Disney Star clinched the rights for the previous cycle at ₹60 crore per match for both digital and TV rights.
Only three firms—incumbent Disney Star, Viacom18 and Sony Pictures—opted to bid for the rights. Following the auctions, BCCI secretary Jay Shah posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Congratulations, Viacom18, for winning the BCCI media rights for both linear and digital for the next five years. India cricket will continue to grow in both spaces after IPL (Indian Premier League) and WPLT20 (Women’s Premier League), and we extend the partnership with BCCI media rights as well.
Together, we will continue to capture the imagination of Indian cricket fans. Also, a big thank you to Disney Star and Disney+ Hotstar for your support over the years. You played a key role in making India cricket reach its fans across the globe." A Disney Star executive, on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the company did not bid aggressively.
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