BCCI media rights - Viacom18 wins digital and TV rights for five years for $720 million

Viacom18 has bagged the media rights – both digital and television – to Indian cricket globally for INR 5963 crore approximately (USD 720.60 million approx.) for the period 2023-27. These rights extend to all the cricket the BCCI runs in the country, international and domestic, apart from the IPL.

Up against two competitors, Disney Star* and Sony, Viacom18 bid the highest in both digital and linear TV categories, in an e-auction conducted by the BCCI on Thursday. In the digital category Viacom18 bid INR 3101 crore (USD 374.70 million approx.), and it bid INR 2862 crore (USD 345.90 million approx.) for television rights.

Viacom18’s latest deal translates to an average per-match value of INR 67.75 crore, which is 12.92% higher than the INR 60 crore Star India had paid the BCCI in the previous cycle. For 2018-23, Disney Star, which was earlier Star India, had won worldwide rights to India’s games for INR 6138 crore (then USD 944 million), for a total of 102 international matches. This time, the BCCI listed 88 international matches for the rights period.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah tweeted the news, on Thursday evening.

Last year, during the IPL media rights bidding, Viacom18 secured digital rights in the Indian subcontinent, and TV and digital rights across three global regions – Australia + New Zealand, the UK, and South Africa – for INR 23,758 crore (then USD 3 billion approx.). Disney Star had won IPL TV rights in the Indian subcontinent at the same auction.

Viacom18 then pipped Disney Star to the global media rights for the WPL, paying INR 951 crore (then USD 116 million approx.) for the period 2023-27.

*ESPNcricinfo and Disney Star are part of the Walt Disney Company.