Cricket South Africa (CSA), which has released its invitation to tender (ITT) for India territory media rights across all formats, is reportedly seeking $7 million per game where the Indian team is playing and $240,000 per match for all international fixtures.
The $240,000 per match figure also applies to CSA’s upcoming SA20 League, Cricbuzz reports.
Converted into INR, the asking price adds up to Rs 64 crore or $8 million for a season of SA20 and Rs 56 crore for each India game. As per Cricbuzz, for every non-India home international season, the reserve price in $3 million or Rs 24 crore. These reserve prices are for the territory of the Indian subcontinent alone.
The deal is for the next cycle of ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP – 2024-31), during which period the projected number of international games that the CSA is to host is 87, with the Indian matches approximately accounting for 21. India are scheduled to tour in December-January 2027-28 and again in 2030-31.
The Indian team is also scheduled to visit South Africa in 2023-24, but that comes under the current cycle for which Star Sports already has the rights.
As for SA20, bids have been invited for 10 seasons with 33 games in the first year and 34 in the subsequent four years. The ITT, which the cricket website accessed, reads: “5.2 The reserve price for the League is $240,000 per League Match. 5.3 The Licence Fee payable for the League shall increase at the rate of 5% per Season of the League on a compound basis.
“5.4 There shall be no change in the Licence Fee payable for the League if there is an increase or decrease of up to five (5) Matches in a given Season (“Permitted Variance”), but increases or decreases above or below the Permitted Variance will result in a pro rata adjustment of the Licence Fee.”
The ITT document further states, “The 2023 Season the League will comprise 6 (six) Franchises or Teams based in cities across South Africa who will play in a league format that currently culminates each Season in play-off Matches to determine the winner of the League. With 6 (six) Franchises/ Teams, it is envisaged that the League will comprise 33 (thirty) Matches in the 2023 Season, moving to 34 (thirty) Matches in the 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 Seasons.”
As recently reported by Cricbuzz, after none-too-encouraging response from the Indian market, the CSA has issued a new ITT combining the international matches with SA20. The ITT outlines the point stating, “For clarity, this ITT and the resulting tender process supersedes and replaces the RFP for the CSA Rights that had been issued on 8 September 2022 and the resulting process, which stands cancelled.”
October 3 is the deadline for seeking clarifications. The deadline for bid submission is 5 PM SA time on October 12.
The biggest disadvantage the ITT offers is that the first India tour in the package is only after five years so it remains to be seen whether there will be any takers at the prices quoted by CSA or there will be a furher “come-down”.
