Viacom 18 bags BCCI TV and digital media rights for Rs 5,963 crore in a 5-year deal
Viacom 18 Media Private Limited has bagged the BCCI TV and digital media rights for the next five years for a cumulative figure of Rs.5,963 crore. Viacom18 beat competition from Sony Sports Network and Disney Star in an e-auction conducted by the BCCI on Thursday.
As per the new deal which has 88 international matches, Viacom18 is estimated to be paying INR 67.75 crore per game to the BCCI, which is said to be 12.91% higher than the INR 60 crore Disney Star had paid in the 2018-23 cycle.
Viacom18, a joint venture between the Reliance Industry-owned Network 18 Group and Paramount Global, has taken the BCCI bilateral media rights from Disney Star, who had won the television and digital rights for the 2018-23 cycle for INR 6138 crore.
Disney Star also won the rights to the 2012-18 cycle of broadcasting Indian cricket in the country for Rs. 3851 crore.
Viacom 18 bags BCCI TV and digital media rights for Rs 5,963 crore in a 5-year deal
“The recent BCCI e-auction has unequivocally demonstrated the vigour of cricket in India. The remarkable journey of Indian cricket, its meteoric rise in the global sporting arena, owes its success to the unwavering trust that people have vested in the BCCI leadership and its dedicated workforce.”
“With the staunch support and collaboration of every stakeholder within our cricketing ecosystem, I am confident that we will continue to propel the brand BCCI to uncharted territories on the global sports stage,” said Roger Binny, BCCI President.
Viacom18, a relative newcomer in the cricket broadcasting world through its TV channel Sports18 and digital platform Jio Cinema, is also the holder of TV and digital rights of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) for INR 951 crore till 2027.
It also has the digital rights of the 2023-27 IPL cycle for INR 23,758 crore, as well as the Australia, South Africa and United Kingdom broadcast rights. Viacom18 also has the Cricket South Africa matches rights to be broadcasted in India from 2024-31.
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