MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council is reportedly seriously considering moving away from what has till now been the ICC’s methodology of selling media rights – both television and digital – from an eight-year cycle to a shorter one.
Further, taking a leaf out of the BCCI handbook (as too global sports bodies like FIFA) the ICC is also reportedly planning to sell the next cycle of rights cycle territory-wise. And if a report in The Times of India ultimately proves correct, the India territory rights will be the first to go on the block for what will be a four-year rights cycle.
The last time the media rights got sold, the ICC had floated an Invitation To Tender (ITT), seeking a consolidated global bid and Uday Shankar-led Star India bid $1.98 billion (approx. Rs 118.8bn at the then exchange rate) to secure the rights. Also in the race were Sony Pictures (then Multi Screen Media), Ten Sports (then owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd) and Nimbus-led Neo Sports.
“A year ago, the ICC began working on this plan. They realized that opting to float a tender just for the India market – their biggest revenue-earner – would help them consolidate their biggest market first and then allow them the necessary time and resources to tender other global territories such as UK & Europe, Americas, African countries, Australia and New Zealand,” TOI, quotes sources “tracking developments” as having said.
As per the daily, the ICC has scheduled a board meeting for November 16 to get the ITT approved.
The BCCI, looking to sell the Indian Premier League media rights for the next five years starting with the 2023 season, announced the IPL tender would be made available soon after the board concludes the sale of two new franchises in world cricket’s richest T20 league on October 25.
Disney and the Sony-Zee combination (should the merger go through or Sony alone if it doesn’t) and Jio-Viacom18 will all be contenders in the race for these rights.
Media rights for the IPL, India cricket and ICC make up world cricket’s most valuable cricket properties.
