IPL Media Rights auction: ZEE congratulates BCCI for efficient, transparent process

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Tuesday, secured one of the biggest broadcast deals in the history of the sport and managed to fetch Rs 48,390 crore through IPL media rights auction for five years, starting 2023.

Disney Star retained their TV rights for the Indian sub-continent by paying Rs 23,575 crore, while Reliance-backed Viacom18 gained access to digital rights deal for Rs 23,758 crore. Viacom18 also secured the non-exclusive Package C by paying an additional Rs 2,991 crore.

Rahul Johri, President, Business - ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, also congratulated BCCI for running an extremely efficient and transparent e-auction process.

Johri, in a statement, said, “ZEE would like to congratulate the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for running an extremely efficient and transparent e-auction process. We are grateful to the BCCI, President, Sourav Ganguly, Secretary, Jay Shah and Treasurer,  Arun Dhumal; for their able leadership and unwavering support in enabling ZEE’s participation in the IPL Media Rights tender process.”

" At ZEE, we evaluate all business decisions through the prism of value creation for all our stakeholders and we will continue to evaluate every sports property with the same prism," Johri added.

Meanwhile, Jay Shah, secretary, BCCI, tweeted, ”I am thrilled to announce that STAR INDIA wins India TV rights with their bid of Rs 23,575 crores. The bid is a direct testimony to the BCCI's organisational capabilities despite two pandemic years.”

"Viacom18 bags digital rights with its winning bid of Rs 23,758 cr. India has seen a digital revolution & the sector has endless potential. The digital landscape has changed the way cricket is watched. It has been a big factor in the growth of the game & the Digital India vision" Shah added.

Interestingly, in terms of sheer valuation, the IPL now comes among the top-most sporting properties alongside US’ National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (MBA) and England’s English Premier League (EPL) as the most-watched sporting event on the planet.

Walt Disney's Head of International Content and Operations, Rebecca Campbell, after losing the digital rights to Viacom18, in a statement, hinted that Star will be vying for other multi-platform cricket rights. She added, “We will be exploring other multi-platform cricket rights, including future rights for International Cricket Council (ICC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which we currently hold through the 2023 and 2024 seasons, respectively.”