Viacom18 has won the TV and digital rights for the Indian cricket team’s home matches on Thursday, August, 31, announced the Board of Control For Cricket in India secretary, Jay Shah. The media company was in a three-way tussle with Disney Star and Sony Sports to win the digital and TV rights during the auction.
The Viacom18 company will be in a five-year contract with the BCCI. According to a PTI report, the Indian cricket board had anticipated surpassing the one billion US dollar mark in total revenue from selling separate television and digital rights for India’s home matches. The rights were sold for the next cycle through an e-auction process. The base price for TV was set at Rs 20 crore per match. On the other hand, the base price for the digital was set at Rs 25 crore. According to reports, Amazon, and Fan Code were also expected to be in the race. However, they did not enter the auction process.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah took to Twitter to congratulate Viacom18 for winning the media rights for TV and digital. He also thanked Disney Start for their contributions to Indian cricket. 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 @BCCIMedia Rights as well. Together we will continue to capture the imagination of cricket fans. Also a big thank you to @starindia @DisneyPlusHS for your support over the years. You played a key role in making India Cricket reach its fans across the globe”
India to play 88 home matches in the next five-year cycle
Viacom18’s five-year contract features India’s home matches from 2023-2028. The team will be playing 88 matches at home during the period. They will play 39 home matches against England and Australia. India will host India will host Australia for 21 games, comprising five Tests, six ODIs, and ten T20Is during the period. The BCCI also expects the number of games to increase in the upcoming cycle. This will directly impact the viewership and the monetary returns.
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