MUMBAI: Star India-controlled Mashal Sports Pvt Ltd (Mashal), founder and commercial rights holder of the Pro Kabaddi League, has extended by ten days the deadline it had set for potential bidders to submit bid documents for PKL’s media rights.
As per the invitation to tender (ITT) that Mashal had issued last month, 2nd April was the last date for bidders to submit bid documents for media rights to 5 seasons (Season 8 – Season 12) of PKL, to be held during 2021 – 2025. The last date has now been revised to 12th April. Accordingly, the date of the of online auction, which was originally scheduled to be held on 5th April has also been pushed back to 15th April.
Speaking exclusively to SportzPower on the matter, Anupam Goswami, CEO – Mashal Sports & league commissioner of the Pro Kabaddi League, said: “Mashal Sports has received requests from bidder(s) in this regard, and after due consideration we have extended the timelines for bid submission from 02 April to 12 April. Accordingly, we have also extended the e-auction timeline from 05 April to 15 April.”
On a query from this website on the level of interest that had come in from streaming platforms in particular for the PKL rights, Goswami said: “While we do not want to pre-judge qualifications of bidders. At the same there seems to be interest for all rights-packages of the PKL media rights.”
Goswami also confirmed information available with SportzPower that Mashal had set a Rs 9 billion floor price for PKL’s media rights, stating: “We have indeed set out a reserve price for the PKL media rights auction. It Rs 900 crores for the consolidated rights.”
In this regard, it is worth re-examining the four rights packages that are on offer for potential bidders.
Package A: This consists of global television rights; rest of the world digital rights; sponsorship rights – on-air and on-ground (including title sponsorship); audio rights; film rights; fixed media rights; clip rights; footage rights and public exhibition rights. Package A rights holder will also have the obligation to produce the world feed.
Package B: This consists of India digital rights; mobile activation rights; inflight / on-board rights and virtual reality rights.
Package C: This consists of gaming rights, which includes rights to operate a fantasy league; create, produce or offer mobile, computer or console games, e-sport and other kabaddi games.
Package D: This is the consolidated rights package i.e. all media rights offered under packages A, B and C.
Reading the fine print of the ITT (the details around which SportzPower has been provided access to by reliable industry sources), and with reference to Packages A and D, what is clear is that there are only four entities operating in the Indian market that are eligible to bid: incumbent Star Sports, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), Discovery-owned Eurosport India, and 1Sports, owned by Lex Sportel Vision Pvt. Ltd.
As Eurosport India and 1Sports pretty much rule themselves out (as neither operate in this market at a scale that can manage a Rs 9 billion bid), it looks for all intents and purposes that unless SPN takes an aggressive position, it will come as no surprise for industry stakeholders to see Star Sports continuing as host broadcaster of the PKL for another five seasons.
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