One of the leading broadcasting conglomerates, Disney Star, which has been a one-stop destination for sports, continues to strengthen its presence in the sports broadcasting industry.
Over the years, Disney Star has held some elite sports properties and has provided exclusive and comprehensive coverage to fans through the Star Sports network and Disney+ Hotstar. The conglomerate aims to continue offering quality sports in the forthcoming years and has also acquired and retained rights to global sports properties. Let’s have a look at the sports competitions under Disney Star’s belt:
Cricket:
In one of the recent developments, over the weekend, Disney Star acquired rights to the International Cricket Council (ICC) cricket in India for four years until the end of 2027. The association includes men’s and women’s fixtures.
On Tuesday, Disney Star signed a strategic licensing deal with ZEE Entertainment, the former will license the TV rights of the ICC’s men’s and under-19 global events for four years to the latter.Â
In the last week of July, Disney Star got hold of rights to Cricket Australia (CA) fixtures throughout India and other territories in Asia. The collaboration was inked for seven years starting from the 2023/24 season. The media baron replaced Sony Pictures Networks as the official broadcaster of Australia’s cricket fixtures.
The biggest accomplishment of the company has been the acquirement of the rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for INR 23,575 crore. The sports network and OTT platform of Disney Star will broadcast IPL in the Indian subcontinent between 2023-27.
Football:
Earlier this year, Disney Star renewed its media rights deal with the English top-flight, Premier League. All games of the season will be visible across Star Sports and Disney+ Hotstar.
The media network also has rights to the Indian top-flight football, the Indian Super League (ISL).
Other Sports:
The popular Indian kabaddi competition, Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is also a part of the lucrative media rights portfolio of Disney Star.
Till the end of 2022, Disney Star will be the home of Formula 1.
The broadcasting unit signed a three-year extension with Wimbledon last year, the deal will end in 2023.