The Indian apex cricket governing entity, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to have an auction tomorrow, i.e., Thursday, August 31, for the bilateral media rights – international and domestic matches for the upcoming five-year cycle. A few weeks ago, the BCCI released an Invitation to Tender (ITT) seeking proposals from reputable organizations.
The ITT, which was made available after payment of a non-refundable fee of INR 15,00,000 along with applicable GST, included the specific rules and regulations regarding the tender process, including eligibility requirements, the method for submitting bids, rights and obligations, etc. The ITT was up for grabs until August 25, 2023.
For a price of INR 6138.1 crore, Disney Star acquired the BCCI media rights in 2018 (television and digital), covering the years 2018 to 2023.
For the new cycle, the BCCI is offering two packages: Indian subcontinent TV rights and Indian subcontinent digital rights, both of which are bundled with the remainder of the world’s TV and digital rights. The television bundle has a starting price of INR 20 crore per match, however, the digital package commences at INR 25 crore per match. It has also been mentioned that the total amount per match must not be less than INR 60 crore per game. The upcoming cycle includes a total of 88 games.
Only three companies have reportedly submitted technical proposals for the BCCI media rights – Disney Star, Sony Sports Network, and Viacom18.
Other entities such as ZEE Entertainment Enterprises and FanCode, as well as two other international corporations, Google and Amazon, are not believed to have participated, as per reports. As a result, the highly anticipated media rights auction for international and domestic fixtures in India will be a three-way fight between two established rivals, Sony and Star, and Viacom18, which is going through a purple patch in the sports broadcasting arena.