MUMBAI: Now here’s a reported development that comes straight out of “left field” as it were. While the “expected suspects” have reportedly bought the Invitation-To-Tender (ITT) bid document for world cricket’s biggest media rights property, recently released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, there is a new name that has been added to the prospective list.
And it is is as big as they come.
The Indian Premier League ITT has already been purchased by the likes of Disney India, Sony Pictures Networks India, Zee Network and Viacom18 on the broadcast side, and (presumably) Indian telecom majors Reliance Jio and Airtel, as well as ecommerce giant Amazon Inc. But what has added a delicious imponderable to the already heady mix of big league players is a report in The Times of India that American tech giant Apple Inc, the world’s most valuable company, is also expected to pick up the ITT next week and enter the fray for IPL’s media rights.
May 10 is the deadline for the companies to purchase the ITT following which the BCCI will spend a month in evaluating the tender documents.
The IPL media rights for the next five-year cycle will be sold via an e-auction in the second week of June.
As for the terms and conditions that have been set out for the bid process, what can be understood from the reports circulating are as under.
74 games per season across all 5 years.
The rights packages on offer are 4. And they break down thus:
TV linear – India (Bundle A)
Base price Rs 49 cr ($6.4m) per game
Overall base price Rs 18,130 cr
Digital – India (Bundle B)
Base price Rs 33 cr ($4.4m) per game
For 5 years Rs 12,210 cr
18 Games Non-exclusive (Bundle C)
[Opening match, 4 playoffs, night games of the double header]
Base price Rs 16 cr ($2m) per game
For 5 years Rs 1,440 cr
Rest of World TV and Digital (Bundle D)
Base price Rs 3 cr ($400,000) per game
For 5 years Rs 1,110 cr
Consolidated base price
Rs 32,890 cr
“The packages have been divided in a manner where it ensures maximum participation. This will keep the competition intense, and transparent and allow BCCI to maximise its revenue potential to the fullest,” BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal said.
The auction will go on for two days, with the sale of the first two categories taking place on the first day, followed by the sale of the remaining two categories on the second day.
TOI has further reported that for the Category A package shall be bid only by an Indian buyer with a net worth of Rs 1,000 crore or more as on March 31, 2021.
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At prices set by BCCI, IPL digital rights appear more a telco play
