Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday confirmed Disney Star will remain the home of all ICC cricket action in India for the next four years after it won the TV and digital media rights of both men’s and women’s global events till the end of 2027.
Earlier, in June, Disney Star had retained the Indian Premier League (IPL) TV rights for INR 23,575 crore (which comes to INR 57.5 crore per match). Disney Star also owns the ICC media rights for the 2015-23 cycle, which is majorly seen in the market as the second-most lucrative rights in cricket after IPL.
The ICC further said Disney Star emerged as the winner following a single-round sealed bid process on Friday, which has yielded a significant uplift to the rights fee from the previous cycle continuing the impressive growth and reach of cricket.
It added that the decision followed a robust tender, bidding and evaluation process, which started in June 2022, though the ICC didn’t reveal the amount of winning bid made by Disney Star which decided the result in their favour.
“We are delighted to continue to partner with Disney Star as the home of ICC cricket for the next four years which has delivered an outstanding result for our Members and will support our ambitious growth plans. They will play a crucial role in the future of our sport and connecting and engaging with more fans than ever before,” said ICC Chair Greg Barclay.
“Having a broadcast and digital partner for women’s events in India is a significant step forward in our ambition to accelerate the growth of the women’s game. Disney Star presented impressive plans for the promotion of women’s cricket and they clearly share our vision so I’m incredibly excited by the size of the opportunity ahead.”
“This was an incredibly competitive process, which isn’t surprising given the huge audiences that cricket consistently attracts with more than a billion fans that passionately follow the game globally. I’d like to thank all of the bidders for their interest in and support of cricket,” added Barclay.
Apart from Disney Star, Sony Sports, Viacom 18 and Zee were in the fray while Amazon pulled out of the race. “We are delighted at being able to continue our association with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and look forward to strengthening our partnership by growing the sport of cricket in the years ahead.”
“With the acquisition of the ICC Digital and TV broadcast rights, Disney Star has further strengthened its status as the premier destination for marquee cricket events in the country,” said K Madhavan, Country Manager & President, Disney Star.
(IANS)
