The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is holding the Indian Premier League (IPL) media rights e-auction for the next five years (2023-27). The BCCI is expecting a windfall from the telecast and streaming rights deal, with several networks, such as Sony Sports Network, global giants Disney Star Network, and Reliance-Viacom 18 among others, in the fray to grab the rights for the 2023-2027 cycle.
BCCI’s revenue from IPL media and streaming rights have multiplied manifold since the league came into existence. While it nearly doubled when Star India took over the media rights in 2018, the BCCI now expects the sum to triple in the 2023-27 cycle.
Who will telecast IPL for next five years?
Star India had to pay a record sum of INR 16,347.5 crore (US$ 2.55 billion approx. then) in 2017 to bag the IPL rights for five years (2018-22). It was the biggest media rights deal in cricket and was 158% more than the amount paid for the previous IPL rights cycle.
All bidders will have to make separate bids for each package, this time. The participants will make the decision whether or not to continue bidding for the media rights after a certain stage. This is different from the 2017 auction when there was a process of closed bidding.
E-AUCTION DATE
The media rights will be e-auctioned on June 12 for the first time since the establishment of the IPL. The current bidders will win the rights to broadcast the league for a five-year cycle, which will start with the 16th edition of the tournament in 2023 till 2027. The process is expected to begin at 11:00 AM IST. The bidding could easily go on for more than one day.
FOUR SPECIFIC PACKAGES
There are four specific packages in which the e-auction will be conducted for 74 games per season for a five-year period from 2023-to 2027, with a provision of increasing the number of matches to 94 in the final two years. The process has been divided into a total of four packages (A, B, C and D). Package A is exclusive for TV for the Indian subcontinent while package B is for digital-only grouping for the same region.
Lastly, package D is a combined (TV and digital) bracket for the rest of the world. This is divided into two countries, which could include either the entire world or the five separate regions.
Base price for each package:
Package A – Rs. 49 crore per match
Package B – Rs. 33 crore per match
Package C – Rs 11 crore per match
Package D- Rs. 3 crore per match
AMAZON PULLS OUT
Amazon has pulled out of the Indian Premier League media rights auction race, leaving the field to its rivals. With Amazon out, three major players — Reliance, Disney and Sony Group Corp — would be keen to get the streaming rights, given that it would give them a big boost in the online consumer market. Whoever bags the deal will also get a massive fillip in its aspirations to become a leading media player in India.