Disney Star retains ICC media rights for India market till 2027

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that Disney Star will be the home of all ICC cricket in India for the next four years after it won the TV and digital rights to both men’s and women’s global events till the end of 2027.

Disney Star retained the rights to telecast the ICC tournaments after a closed-loop bid (conducted with sealed envelopes) process in Dubai which has yielded a significant uplift to the rights fee from the previous cycle continuing the impressive growth and reach of cricket.

The decision followed a tender, bidding and evaluation process, which started in June 2022.

While ICC has not revealed the value, reports suggest that the deal is valued at USD 3 billion and ICC has almost got 110-125% increase in values vis-a-vis last cycle. The winning bid is said to be double the base price of USD 1.44 billion for a four-year cycle.

ICC chair Greg Barclay said, “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."

Apart from Disney-Star, Sony, Zee and Viacom18 had also submitted their bids. They had earlier protested about the lack of transparency in a closed-loop exercise. Amazon had also shown interest to bid for the rights, but did not part in the process on Friday.

K Madhavan, country manager and president, Disney Star, said, “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.”

In June 2022, Disney Star retained the IPL television rights for the 2023-27 cycle for Rs 23,575 crore ( Rs 57.5 crore per game). However, it lost the digital rights to Viacom18 for Rs 20,500 crore.

Barclay added, “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.”

Madhavan further added that Disney Star has played an important role over the last seven years in transforming ICC games into one of the biggest sporting spectacles in India and has expanded the viewer base of the property across geographies and demographics in the country.

"The extension of the ICC rights adds to our strong portfolio of cricket properties which also include the television rights for IPL (2023-27), TV and digital rights to Cricket Australia (2024-31), BCCI broadcast rights through the 2024 and Cricket South Africa (end of 2023-24 season), and bolsters our status as the go-to destination for the best sporting events in the country. In addition to cricket, we also offer Pro Kabbadi League, Indian Super League and various international rights, including the Wimbledon Championships and the English Premier League," he said.