The Board of Control for Cricket in India has just sold the media rights for the next five-year cycle of the IPL in an e-auction. The announcement was made on Tuesday evening by BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.
Viacom18 has pocketed the digital rights comprising Package B and Package C with a winning bid of Rs 23,758 cr. While Star India has retained the television rights in India with Package A coming at a staggering Rs 23,575 crore.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah tweeted that the earnings generated from the cash-rich league will help to bolster the cricketing infrastructure and the entire viewing experience in the country.
"The BCCI will utilize the revenue generated from IPL to strengthen our domestic cricket structure starting from grassroots, to boost infrastructure and spruce up facilities across India and enrich the overall cricket-watching experience."Jay Shah
Viacom18 and Times Internet are two companies that got the media rights of Package D, meant for the rest of the world for both TV and digital. Set at a base price of 3 cr per match, Package D rights have been acquired at Rs 1324 cr. Viacom18 has bagged the rights of Aus, SA, UK territories, while Times Internet has bought MENA & US sectors.
"I congratulate Viacome18 for winning Aus, SA, UK, Times have got MENA & US, who win the Rest of the World Rights. The IPL is as popular outside India as it is here and the viewers will be able to enjoy top-class cricket."Jay Shah
The coveted Indian Premier League is now the second most lucrative league in the world, overshadowing the English Premier League (EPL) and NBA.
The Four packages:
Package A: Sole TV rights for the Indian subcontinent only - Star India.
Package B: Only Digital rights & exclusively for the Indian subcontinent - Viacom 18
Package C: Digital rights for a special bouquet of matches, including the playoffs, for the Indian subcontinent only - Viacom 18
Package D: Rights for the Rest of the World for both TV and digital, is divided into two sub-categories: Combined ROW or five individual regions - Viacom 18 and Times Internet
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