Battle for BCCI media rights: Three contenders emerge for cricket broadcasting

The media rights for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have attracted the attention of only three contenders. Among the interested parties are Disney Star, Sony Sports, and Viacom 18. These submissions have been made in preparation for the upcoming auction scheduled for August 31. Reportedly, other entities such as Zee and FanCode did not partake, and two multinational corporations, Google and Amazon, also chose not to join. Consequently, the competition for the media rights encompassing television and digital coverage of international cricket matches in India will revolve around a three-way rivalry, involving two traditional rivals, Sony and Star, along with a newcomer, Viacom 18.

Monday was designated as the day for the submission of technical bids, during which the regulatory body assessed whether the participants fulfilled the criteria outlined in the Invitation To Tender (ITT). Thus, the technical bid serves as the initial stage of involvement in the forthcoming online auction.

In light of Zee's absence from the proceedings, it has become apparent that the company will be collaborating with Sony during the bidding process. This development arises as a natural outcome of the approved merger between these two broadcasters, a significant event within the Indian corporate landscape.

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The possibility of a joint bid by Sony-Zee remains open, considering that the BCCI is allowing consortium bids—a provision absent in previous media rights auctions, notably the IPL rights auction last year. Despite attempts to seek immediate responses from company representatives, no immediate response was received. Nevertheless, the collaboration between the two organizations is unsurprising, as their merger is anticipated to be finalized by October 1.

The evaluation of the technical bids might serve as a formality, considering that all three broadcasters have previously participated in IPL bidding, and two of them—Disney Star and Viacom—are already media partners of the BCCI by holding IPL rights.

For those not familiar with the specifics, companies are required to possess a net worth of Rs 1000 crores. All three entities significantly exceed this stipulated criterion.

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