IPL media rights tender to be released in February
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is arguably one of the biggest annual sporting tournaments in the world. Unlike several leagues, it is a two-month affair conducted in India. While the majority of the last two editions have been held in the UAE due to COVID-19 crisis, fans continue to tune in to watch the beloved cricketing festival in massive numbers.
There was a slight worry amongst advertisers during the second leg of IPL 2021 as the TV ratings took a slight dip, indicating a decrease in viewership numbers. Regardless, Star Sports clocked 255.4 billion minutes in 45 matches. And the numbers are only expected to rise again in the coming years, especially with two new franchises coming to the fore and increasing the number of stakeholders at the event.
That being said, there are going to be some changes when it comes to broadcasting the mega event from next year.
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Star India wins IPL media rights with bid of Rs 16347 crore for next 5 years
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BCCI launching IPL 2023-2027 media rights tender in February
Star India, owned by the Walt Disney Company India, is currently the holder of the IPL media rights and has exclusivity over telecasting the massive tournament. In 2017, they outbid Sony Pictures Networks India by bagging an INR 16,347 crore media rights deal. Since then, it has been broadcasting the event on its various sports channels while Disney+ Hotstar has been the OTT platform for the tournament.
But the contract will come to an end after the 2022 edition and the media rights tender for the next five years is set to be launched next month. The BCCI are apparently inclined towards conducting an e-auction, following the success they found in doing so during the sale of India Cricket & BCCI's title sponsorship.
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🚨 NEWS 🚨: BCCI announces Tender of IPL Media Rights for 2023-2027 cycle
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Expectations for the opening bid are massive. Given the viewership numbers over the last five years, coupled with the additions of the Lucknow and Ahmedabad franchises, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly shed light on his hopes for the new media rights deal:
"12,000 Crore for sale of two franchises was phenomenal. Fingers crossed, we should get 40,000 crore-plus from the IPL Media Rights.”
So it is sure to be a money-spinning deal and a bidding war is also expected, since there are a couple more players in the market vying to bag this contract.
Who can bid for the IPL 2023-2027 media rights tender?
The Disney Star Network will likely enter the fray to try and secure the IPL rights for another half-decade but will also face stiff competition from a couple of broadcasting behemoths.
which network is getting the tender?
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Sony Pictures Networks India is expected to compete again, especially since they already hold major rights for several football tournaments, including the UEFA Champions League, a number of cricketing leagues, Nippon professional baseball, the Australian Open, and various other sporting events.
In 2009, they also signed a lucrative nine-year deal to broadcast the IPL, which was worth around INR 8200 crore at the time. They would certainly be keen on entering the scene again.
Reliance Viacom 18 is another major force entering this market as they are planning on launching their own sports channel soon. The Mukesh Ambani-led company is vying to create its own brand in the field. It has already secured deals for the Abu Dhabi T10 League and the Road World Safety Series while they also bagging media rights for the NBA last year.
Adding India's biggest sporting tournament to that tally could just be the biggest coup for them, so they will not be one to shy away from it.
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Lastly, Amazon Prime Video has an outside shot at securing the media rights for the 2008 incorporated tournament. The sister company of one of the largest online stores in the world, Amazon Prime Video, has already entered the world of football, NFL, baseball, golf and also bought cricket streaming rights from the New Zealand Cricket Board in 2020. The recent Bangladesh tour of New Zealand was their first foray into streaming a cricketing event on their channel. So, the IPL could certainly be next on their list.
There are several players in the market and the BCCI is likely to see a massive surge in finances surrounding the media rights for the 2023-2027 editions of the Indian Premier League.