In a significant development for cricket broadcasting, Viacom18 has successfully won both TV and digital rights for for all international bilateral series taking place in India for the next five years. The broadcasting rights will span from September 2023 to March 2028 and include a total of 88 bilateral matches involving the Indian cricket team. The comprehensive deal will allow Sports18, Viacom's sports channel, to televise both international and domestic cricket matches, while JioCinema will serve as the OTT (Over The Top) platform for live streaming.
Viacom 18 will contribute a total of Rs 5,966.4 crore to BCCI. It means that Viacom 18 will play Rs 67.8 crore for each game to broadcast 88 matches during the five-year period.
Earlier it was reported that BCCI had anticipated going past the one billion US dollar mark, equivalent to approximately INR 8200 crore, in total revenue from the sale of separate television and digital rights for India's 88 home games.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah meanwhile took to Twitter to congratulate Viacom for winning the bid. He wrote, “Congratulations @viacom18 🤝 for winning the @BCCI Media Rights for both linear and digital for the next 5 years. India Cricket will continue to grow in both spaces as after @IPL, and @wplt20, we extend the partnership @BCCI Media Rights as well. Together we will continue to capture the imagination of 🇮🇳cricket fans.”
The broadcasting schedule under Viacom18 will feature an array of matches that could reach up to 102 games. It includes 25 Test matches, 27 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 36 T20 Internationals (T20Is). This new phase of broadcasting brings a competitive edge to the cricket media landscape, as Viacom18 secured the rights in an e-auction held on August 31, 2023. They outbid other major networks like Disney Star and Sony Pictures Network India to win the coveted rights.
For the unversed, Disney Star had previously acquired these rights in 2018 for a whopping Rs 6,138 crore, averaging around Rs 60 crore per match. However, the latest auction results show a shift in cricket's media landscape. Viacom18, who also locked in the digital rights for the IPL (Indian Premier League) 2023-2027 cycle, now expands its cricket portfolio with this recent win.
When compared to the IPL media rights, the valuation for international matches seems more modest but still considerable. Last year, the IPL rights for the 2023-2027 period fetched a staggering Rs 48,940 crore, or approximately $5.2 billion, which was split between Viacom18 for digital rights and Star for TV rights. This deal set the valuation of each IPL match at Rs 118 crore.
With Viacom18 taking on this mantle, cricket fans can look forward to an enriched viewing experience. Sports18 for TV broadcasting and JioCinema for OTT streaming promise to bring cricket closer to audiences across different platforms, ensuring that you won't miss any part of the action involving Team India.
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