MUMBAI: The price may not be right but the very real possibility of being left without India cricket against any of the “major” countries for the foreseeable future looks to have forced the hand of Sony Pictures Networks India. SportzPower understands that SPN paid a premium to retain its rights to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) across the Indian subcontinent for six more years – 2023 to 2028.
Sony’s deal will *NOT include The Hundred, ECB’s upcoming franchise-based tournament.
Clearly, what influenced Sony’s decision to “go big” was the recent loss of Cricket Australia rights to Disney Star while it was in the midst renewal negotiations. The seven-year deal, commencing in 2023-24 will see Disney Star televise men’s international and women’s international matches played in Australia as well as Australia’s domestic T20 men’s and women’s tournaments – Big Bash League (BBL) and WBBL respectively. While financial terms were not disclosed, Australian media put the consolidated rights value of the new deal at A$250 million ($172.65m).
Coming to the ECB media rights, which Sony has gone all in to retain the rights, it bears noting the $150m SPN paid for the current five-year cycle (2018-2022) was for a lower price than what rival network Star India had paid in the previous one to that. Reason? Sony benefited from the fact that Star was not ready to enter into a bidding war as it had already “broken the bank” to ensure that all the prime cricketing properties in world cricket were in its kitty. With IPL, ICC and BCCI rights in the locker, Star took a calculated call to let go of the England and Australia cricket rights it had held for over a decade.
As for what Sony has committed to tie up the rights renewal, industry sources tell SportzPower it is $250m, a $100m mark-up over what it paid last time round.
In terms of India cricket the six-year rights offer, there are three tours by the Men in Blue in the upcoming cycle:
2025 – 5 Tests
2026 – 3 ODIs + 5 T20s
2028 – 3 ODIs + 5 T20s
As for the other three years, Australia visits England:
2023 – Ashes
2024 – 5 ODIs + 3 T20s
2027 – Ashes
Three years of India visiting and three years when Australia comes calling should hopefully ensure distribution revenues are protected would presumably be the thinking within the Sony strategy team. Or so SportzPower believes.
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Disney+ Hotstar subs base a factor in CA rights price premium?
*Earlier version of this report incorrectly stated the rights renewal includes The Hundred, ECB’s upcoming franchise-based tournament
